Community buys back village pub

Members of a rural community are now owners of a pub after its closure left a "huge hole" in the village economy.

Gilsland, on the Cumbria-Northumberland border, was left with just one pub after the Samson Inn closed in October 2022.

The asking price was £295,000 and, after raising £150,000 from 466 shares and receiving a grant, the group has secured the pub's future.

Now on the hunt for a tenant, all the money earned from rent will be used to fund community projects including apprenticeships.

Gilsland sits on the Hadrian's Wall National Trail and attracts thousands of visitors every year.

Jane McDaid, chair of the Gilsland Community Benefit Society Limited (GCBSL) which now owns the Samson, said the pub's closure drastically impacted the local economy.

She added: "We were advised £25 shares would make achieving our target very difficult, but we smashed it."

Gilsland has a population of about 400 people; fewer than the number who bought shares.

Ms McDaid said the power of social media saw people in Australia contribute.

The pub received over £215,000 in the form of a Community Ownership Fund grant from the former Department of Levelling Up.

The GCBSL is now focused on finding a tenant while it starts with external building work.

Ms McDaid said: "All we wanted was to make sure we had a pub for the future.

"It's not just alcohol. These institutions are what brings communities together."

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