Maintenance works completed with new finance package secured for community pub
A public house and restaurant in Wiltshire have completed essential property maintenance works after securing new loan and grant finance for their community venture.
The Winterbourne pub is located in the village of Winterbourne Bassett about six miles southwest of Swindon and has been owned as a community asset by its residents after a successful community share offer and investment from Co-operative & Community Finance via the ‘More Than a Pub’ programme in 2018.
As one of the only meeting places in the village apart from the church, it has proved popular with locals providing competitively priced menus, great barista coffee and a warm friendly welcome.
Over the course of the last four years the community pub’s society members and committee have made a range of improvements and refurbishments to the building and gardens with the installation of outdoor seating, new landscaping, an upgraded play area, an EV car charging point, upgraded toilet facilities, and replacement of exterior windows and doors.
Co-operative & Community Finance were delighted to provide a loan package following on from the ‘More Than a Pub’ legacy scheme to go towards the completion of a modern sewage treatment plant installation on the grounds of the pub after the existing septic tank had been flooding with groundwater.
The project was also part-funded by Wiltshire Council who provided a grant through the Rural Prosperity Funds scheme.
Tim Coomer, Business Development Manager at Co-operative & Community Finance said: “The Winterbourne has been a real success story, located in rural Wiltshire it acts as a vital community hub for people in the disparate and isolated villages and hamlets in the area; as well as drawing in visitors from further afield, such is their reputation for good quality food. The works to install a treatment plant is expenditure the group could have well done without, but its where community pubs are different from the traditional Pub Companies, as they are willing to invest for the long term. We are really pleased to have been able to help them futureproof the site.”
The management committee for the community pub comprises of five local residents. Damian Le Gresley, Treasurer for Winterbourne Bassett Community Pub Limited said: “This is the largest project we have had to take on since purchasing the pub in 2018 and we are extremely grateful for the support from Co-operative & Community Finance and Wiltshire Council for helping us to finance it. Due to the deteriorating condition of the old septic tank this project was urgent, and it is great to see the works complete to resolve the problem for good. We would also like to thank Ward Environmental Services for successfully completing the project for us and minimising the impact to our community pub’s operation.”
The legacy ‘More Than a Pub Fund’ scheme provides loan finance of between £75,000 to £150,000 available to Community Owned Pubs on a term ranging from five to twenty years. Co-operative & Community Finance also helps support groups to access grant funding to help them develop business plans and pay for surveys through the Reach Fund. Please contact Co-operative & Community Finance for the full terms and conditions, and to discuss how your Community Owned Pub venture can be supported.
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and Rural Prosperity Funds are part of the Government’s Levelling Up agenda, providing £2.6bn of funding for local investment across the UK from 2022 until March 2025. Wiltshire has been allocated £5.7m from UKSPF and a further £2.5m through the Rural Prosperity Funds.
You can find out more about the Winterbourne Bassett Community Pub Limited by visiting their website.
