More Than a Pub

A much-loved but previously fire damaged village pub has received additional funding to enable completion of ambitious restoration plans.

 A decade ago The George Community Pub in Wickham Market (situated in the River Deben Valley of Suffolk) was almost destroyed by fire kickstarting an inspiring journey of local volunteers coming together to save the historic Grade II listed building.

The pub had previously received funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund together with funds secured from successful community share offers, Community Share Booster Programme, Co-operative & Community Finance, and other grant providers. However, due to issues relating to the condition of the building (which had deteriorated further since initial inspections), inflationary costs, challenging technical works and scheduling problems an extension to the project budget was required to enable completion of the rebuild and associated renovation.

Co-operative & Community Finance were delighted to provide an additional loan package via our ‘More Than a Pub’ programme along with extra funds from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, small grants, extra community shares and donations to progress the project. Tim Coomer, Business Development Manager at Co-operative & Community Finance said: “I’m sure this will be an overused idiom to describe the George, but this really is a Phoenix from the Ashes project. And one where the tenacity and stamina of all those involved cannot be understated. I have been blown away by the passion and determination of the society and the community of Wickham Market to bring their pub back. I wish them the greatest success and a very well-earned pint!”

Now open, the community pub has recruited a team of staff and along with a dedicated Community Engagement Officer plans are already in place to proactively engage with community groups setting up a programme of workshops, lectures and social activities in the upstairs activity room where 20 groups have already signed up to use the space.

Mike Cooper, Secretary & Finance Officer at The George Inn Community Pub said: “It has been a long and very rewarding project to bring back to life the last remaining pub in Wickham Market. We are so grateful to all our funders and, in particular, The National Lottery Heritage Fund for the core funding and Co-operative & Community Finance for stepping in with the last and vital loan package that has enabled us to complete the rebuild. Tim and his colleagues have been very helpful and encouraging with their support, which has allowed us to finally open The George – to the benefit of the local community.  It is truly More than a pub.”

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.

You can find out more about The George Community Pub by visiting their website.

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.

A popular nineteenth-century village pub has received a new funding package enabling refinancing and securing its role as a vital community asset.

The Helions Bumpstead Community Benefit Society was set up in 2014 with a view to take community ownership of their local pub the ‘Three Horseshoes’ (located in northwest Essex) after it was registered as an Asset of Community Value by the local Parish Council. In 2019 the society raised funds to purchase the historic pub – a building dating back as far as the 1870’s – with an impressive community share fund worth £287K and investment from Co-operative & Community Finance via the ‘More Than a Pub’ programme.

Since purchasing the pub and having to deal with covid related setbacks, the society have diligently carried out a vast range of improvements and refurbishments to the building. These included a new kitchen, central heating, new furniture and flooring, an outdoor eating area and beer garden, along with a separate meeting place and community hub that has proved popular with local community interest groups.

Local residents and shareholders have praised the society’s work and have commented on how the pub has brought a real sense of community to the village. In 2023 a second community share offer was completed raising £14K to be used to improve the outdoor areas of the pub and complete further maintenance work. Co-operative & Community Finance were also pleased to provide a loan package for refinance following on from the ‘More Than a Pub’ legacy scheme. Kevin Lloyd-Evans, Lending and Relationship Manager at Co-operative & Community Finance said: “We are thrilled to support the continued success of this cherished community pub. By providing this loan, we’re not just backing a business – we’re investing in a hub that fosters connection and community spirit. We look forward to seeing them thrive for many years to come.”

The society currently has around 177 members with a board of 9 committee members all bringing a wide range of experience and skills with them. Richard Russell, Chair of Helions Bumpstead Community Benefit Society said: “Co-operative and Community Finance have been at our side throughout our journey, from the community purchase in 2019 and throughout the years of the pandemic. So, we were delighted to arrange our refinancing with them, now that the Three Horseshoes is in the safe hands of our tenants. Their understanding of local communities sets them apart from corporate lenders and the relationship is one of de facto friendship.”

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.

You can find out more about the Helions Bumpstead Community Benefit Society by visiting their website.

Locals look to improve the wellbeing and social glue of the community through the purchasing of their village pub with help from Co-operative & Community Finance’s ‘More Than a Pub’ finance package.

Located in hamlet of Newtown in St Martin within the Lizard Peninsula of South West Cornwall, The Prince of Wales pub has served its community for hundreds of years dating back as far as the 17^th century as the village’s only pub. After closure during the pandemic in 2020, locals have come together to organise the purchase of the pub developing a business that is community driven and provides customers with greater opportunities for connection.

A survey was conducted by residents towards the end of 2020 and following a swell of support from the village for community ownership, ‘Friends of the Newtown St Martin Pub Ltd’ was formed as a Community Benefit Society in February 2021. Along with a community share offer and help from Co-operative & Community Finance’s ‘More Than a Pub’ finance package, the society has been able to obtain the funds necessary for the freehold purchase of the pub as a community asset.

Food, live music, and a family room have been put forward by the community as important elements in the pub’s development. Regular activities such as quiz nights, Young Farmers socials and being used for the local darts team and Euchre club (which lapsed after the pub’s closure) are set to resume. The society also hopes to revive an informal ‘Trades’ evening hosted by the pub which brought together tradespeople across the area one evening a week as well as creating new clubs for gardeners, writers, a book club and cinema club. After identifying individuals in the village with significant caring responsibilities, a carer’s support club is another opportunity to use the pub to bring the community together along with potential plans for a shop within the pub to service the village.

Katie Nightingale, Chairperson of Friends of the Newtown St Martin Pub said: “Whilst this journey has been long and arduous, we simply could not have achieved what we have without the incredible support from Co-operative & Community Finance. The process can be complex at times and the expert advice provided was truly invaluable. Our community is absolutely thrilled at what we have achieved and the re-opening of the pub will make a huge difference to our villages and surrounding areas.”

The loan finance from Co-operative and Community Finance is the very last loan from the original ‘More Than a Pub’ programme, a loan product created specifically to support Community Pubs, alongside a grant from the Plunkett Foundation funded by a Power to Change and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). Co-operative and Community Finance were also able to provide extra finance from their ‘More than a Pub’ legacy fund and the pub group were successful in receiving a grant from the Community Ownership Fund. Tim Coomer, Business Development Manager Co-operative & Community Finance said: “This Pub group have been on quite a journey, and we are ecstatic that their hard work, perseverance, and determination has paid off in the end. The Prince of Wales is in a pretty pub in a beautiful part of the country, but this belies some of the real issues faced in rural Cornwall, where isolation, low wages, second home ownership and high costs of living can make it a challenging place to live for many. The Prince of Wales is a pub at the heart of its community and long may it be a success.”

The legacy ‘More Than a Pub Fund’  provides loan finance of between £75,000 to £150,000 available to Community Owned Pubs at a discounted rate of interest for members of the Plunkett Foundation, length of term ranges from five to twenty years. We can also help support groups access grant funding to help get them develop their business plans and pay for surveys, etc… 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.

You can find out more about Friends of Newtown St Martin Pub by visiting their website.