‘It’s so much more than just a pub’
Sally Soady, 63, lives in Bamford, Derbyshire, with her husband John, 65.
We’ve lived in the beautiful village of Bamford for 24 years – a perfect, rural location in the heart of the Peak District. For years, the village had two pubs, a shop, GP surgery and post office.
The GP surgery closed in 2007, which was a real blow. Then one of the pubs, The Derwent, shut its doors in 2011. When, in 2012, we heard the remaining pub, The Anglers Rest, was up for sale and then shortly afterwards that the post office might close too, locals were devastated.
Villages die without facilities, so a group of us called a meeting to discuss the future. ‘Why don’t we take over the pub ourselves?’ someone suggested. ‘And the contract with the Post Office too?’
The idea was daunting, but we formed a steering group of 12 residents to take on the challenge. No one had hospitality experience
– we felt like contestants on The Apprentice! But we formulated a plan to sell shares in the pub; to create a communityowned business.
In July 2013, we presented the plan at the village carnival, began regular drop-in Q&A sessions and leafleted houses. It worked! On 20 August, the news came that we’d raised our minimum £180,000. Not only that, but the Post Office had agreed we could take on the contract and run services from the pub.
Celebrations were short-lived when we discovered that a property developer – a cash buyer – had made an offer on the pub. Desperate, we started a media campaign and contacted our MP, Andrew Bingham. The would-be buyer backed out and, finally, our offer was accepted. I’ve since joined the Plunkett Foundation [a national charity that supports rural communities] as an advisor to other people in similar circumstances.
We closed the share offer on 14 October and exchanged contracts a week later. After a thorough clean, the pub officially opened in November 2013. The night was a joyous celebration.
Owned by the community, the pub has evolved to have something for everyone, including a cafe and a post office kiosk. It has become a hub for local societies, from knitters to Scrabble players.
It’s more than just a pub – it’s the beating heart of Bamford.
‘It’s evolved to have something for everyone’