Farmers and villagers unite to save local pub

Farmers and residents in Brockweir, a village of 400 on the River Wye in Gloucestershire, have raised £400,000 in less than a year to buy their closed pub and back struggling local farms.

In the Wye Valley, where many farms are diversifying to remain viable, the community campaign to save the Brockweir Inn has become a joint effort between villagers and the farmers who surround them.

See also: Pigs, pubs, and pints provide farmer with new opportunity 

The medieval pub closed about five years ago, prompting residents to act to protect it as a community asset.

“We have received no grants, but have rallied together to purchase it through a community shares bid… £400,000 in less than a year,” says Carol Knight, from the pub fundraising team.

The village is small and not affluent, she says, which has made fundraising more challenging.

“We are not a wealthy community by any means, so we have had to be creative with our fundraising efforts.”

Practical support 

That creativity has been matched by practical support from local farmers.

They have donated prizes and produce for raffles, lent fields as venues for fundraising events, and helped generate about £30,000 towards the refurbishment of the building.

“Our farmers have been so proactive in helping us; it’s been amazing,” Carol says.

Local farmer Pete Shewell says: “Brockweir community has welcomed us with enthusiasm, and we wanted to give something back.

“It is heartening to live in a village where the farmers are supported and encouraged to produce high-quality products that benefit all.

“The opening of the Brockweir Inn is going to help everyone.”

The Brockweir Inn photographed in Victorian times © Supplied by Philip Hewitt

Local produce

The refurbished pub is scheduled for a “soft” opening this summer.

But for the community, the project is about more than just that.

“It is also intended to create a reliable outlet for local produce at a time when many farms are under financial pressure.

“We will try to make our community pub a community hub for local produce and local suppliers,” Carol says.

The group aims to source as much as possible from within a five-mile radius as part of its low-carbon approach.

Suppliers are already lined up for beef, lamb and pork, poultry and eggs, honey and jams, milk and dairy products, bread, fruit and vegetables, beers, spirits and flowers.

A local brewery and a nearby gin distillery are also set to stock the bar.

“We are trying to make the pub an outlet for our strapped-for-cash farmers,” Carol says. 

“We want to raise the profile of our struggling farming community through produce.”

Rural community 

A team of four volunteers is leading the initiative. Carol says the project has united a wide range of people within the village and beyond.

“This has shown what a rural community is when push comes to shove,” she says.

Jane Allen, another local farmer, says: “The local pub is an integral part of our village.

“We are so lucky to live here and be part of the farming community, and need to keep the pub as we need to keep our farms.

“We are all custodians of the countryside; it’s our land, our heritage.”