Hudswell Community Pub
If it wasn’t for the enterprising villagers of Hudswell, an attractive village in Swaledale, The George & Dragon would be yet another pub where last orders called for a final time.
Yet, thanks to their imagination and innovation, it has now reopened as a community pub. But, more importantly, it is becoming a focal point for all local residents – with part of the premises becoming a library, another public service that was in decline until North Yorkshire County Council decided to launch its mini-libraries initiative in village halls and such like. The pub also features a small village shop, and allotments at the back. Chairman Paul Cullen says “where else can you get an allotment for £25 a year, with a pub attached?”.
After 9 months of hard work getting the villagers together, fundraising and campaigning, the Hudswell Community Pub Initiative have found licensed tenants to take over the running of the pub they bought as an Industrial and Provident Society for the benefit of the community in February 2010. Not only is the pub backed by the a majority of the village, but shareholders will also receive dividends each year on any surpluses made.
Receiving essential support from Key Fund Yorkshire, Co-operative and Mutual Solutions, the Old Crown pub in Hesket Newmarket, Cumbria (who had saved their pub in the same way), some free legal advice from Muckle LLP, and the offer of grant aid from Yorkshire Forward, a community share issue helped the group to raise £230,000 from 160 investors. Most important too, was the volunteer support from the villagers – who offered their time at meetings, and during the refurbishment of the pub.
When asked what impact the DTA’s Cultivating Enterprise programme had on the project, Martin Booth, Secretary for the Hudswell Community Pub Initiative, explained:
“The small grant from the programme really helped us reassure the board and members about the legal fees at the start, as it was money we could not get back if the project did not go ahead. Every bit of grant is funding we don’t have to pay a dividend on, and helps the enterprise get off the ground quicker.”
This has been a popular project. In June this year, Hudswell Community Pub became the winner of the Social and Community Category for the Yorkshire & Humber Market Town Awards. The judges were impressed by how the community has taken ownership of the pub through working in partnership and raising enough funds to purchase the building. Other organisations from all around the region, local and national press have also picked up on this success story started at grassroots level.
Sophie Michelena, Regional Development Officer for the DTA in Yorkshire & Humber, explained how straightforward the Hudswell business model is: “It is fantastic to know the pub is now open and so far, business has been good. The risk in this buy-to-let model is fairly minimal, with the community organisation receiving a fixed income every month from the tenants, and ensuring local repeat clientele from the proud owners of the pub. The directors also have further plans to diversify their income streams, and attract more visitors to their pub, which should ensure its sustainability.”
Martin Booth works in the Regeneration sector as assistant director for the Hartlepool New Deal for Communities Programme, and understood from the start the need to consider a wider vision for the pub. Plans for the future include a guide on walks from the George & Dragon, free internet access from the pub, and there is potential to develop B&B accommodation on site, as well as redevelop another plot of land by the public footpath at the bottom of the hill.
This is the kind of pro-active approach that is crucial if Yorkshire’s rural communities are to enjoy a renaissance. Local enthusiasm and expertise can go a long way, as the residents of Hudswell are demonstrating with their venture that pools resources and brings key services together under one roof.
Please click here for more information from Hudswell Community Pub, or click here to view a short ITV news clip with William Hague, MP for Richmond, opening the pub.