Locals shape direction of village pub after community takeover from commercial brewery
Residents of Ickleton have taken their beloved pub into community ownership from its commercial brewery owners after raising loan finance and successful community share offer.
The Lion at Ickleton (previously known as The Ickleton Lion and before that, The Red Lion) has been serving locals in the village of Ickleton, Cambridgeshire since 1728. After recent years of disappointment in owners Greene King Brewery, the community came together to take ownership of the pub after being designated an Asset of Community Value by the local parish council in 2014.
Ickleton Community Pub Limited was registered as a Community Benefit Society with the assistance of Plunkett UK in May 2024, and thereafter went about an in depth consultation and community engagement agenda with locals including setting up public meetings, WhatsApp groups, surveys, social media pages, as well as organising events, activities and fundraisers. After positive engagement and feedback from residents and local businesses, the society undertook a community share offer raising an impressive £441k and along with loan finance from Co-operative & Community Finance were able to agree a purchase price with Greene King to take ownership of the pub.
The committee is made up of members with a range of skills and experience and have opted for a hands-on approach to shape the direction of the community pub and its activities. Wanting as much community involvement and control as possible, the society have decided that hiring staff and directly managing the pub rather than taking on tenants would be the best way to achieve this goal.
Steve Allen, Treasurer at Ickleton Community Pub said: “It’s been incredibly rewarding to see the community come together to back this project – not just financially, but through countless hours of hard work and dedication. Raising over £440,000 through our share offer was no small feat, and the additional support from Co-operative & Community Finance really helped turn our dream of community ownership into a reality. Their backing has given us the means to bring our beloved pub back to life as a proper hub at the centre of village life.”
In purchasing the pub, the committee hopes to strengthen the community by providing new facilities, creating places for people to gather, supporting sustainable living and boosting the local economy.
Kevin Lloyd-Evans, Lending and Relationship Manager at Co-operative & Community Finance said: “We were proud to support this inspiring community-led project, where local people came together to save their pub and transform it into a vibrant hub. Our loan helped bring their vision to life – proof that when communities lead, real change happens.”
You can find out more about the Lion at Ickleton and their journey by visiting their website or watching the BBC ‘Look East’ Feature from June 2025 below.