PLOUGH WINS NATIONAL AWARD

There are celebrations at The Plough Inn, Longparish…

Efforts to safeguard the future of The Plough Inn in Longparish, Hampshire, which dates to 1721, have been recognised by the Campaign for Real Ale’s Pub Saving Award, which celebrates people who have come together to save a pub from closure.

Villagers sprung into action
When the pub closed its doors – seemingly for good – in December 2015, local villagers sprung into action, lobbying local planning officers to deny planning permission to turn the pub into a residence. They subsequently used grants, donations and a community share scheme – which attracted over 300 investors – to purchase the pub, in conjunction with the Parish Council, in February 2021.

Heart of the community
After months of incredibly hard work, completely refurbishing the property inside and out, and three hundred years after it first began trading, The Plough Inn is once again at the heart of the Longparish community. Bought with help from their Parish Council who now own The Plough Inn, local villagers have taken on a 99-year lease from the council for the exclusive use of the property to secure and safeguard the future of The Plough Inn as a public house and promote it as an amenity of prime importance to the community.

Andy Jolliffe, chair of Longparish Community Pub Ltd said:

“At the core of a community pub is the local people that it serves. Our aim in taking over the Plough Inn has been to provide a range of services much wider than just the provision of food and drinks to the local community.

“To see the Plough Inn thriving once again, both as a popular destination pub, and a vibrant and valued community asset at the heart of Longparish village is a fantastic achievement.”

Paul Ainsworth, Coordinator for CAMRA’s Pub Saving Award said:

“Huge congratulations to the dedicated villagers who have saved the Plough Inn in Longparish. Pubs play an irreplaceable role in bringing people together, and the decision to purchase and run a pub as a community is a real commitment to preserving its future for generations to come. It is a real privilege to be able to highlight these efforts. Well done to everyone involved.”

CAMRA has resources and support for anybody looking to save their local, and the Pub Saving Award highlights how groups across the UK have managed to do it.
You can find CAMRA’s ‘Saving Your Local Pub’ Guides, plus more resources and contacts for advice from www.camra.org.uk/saveyourlocal

There is to be a celebratory party at the pub at 6.30pm on Friday 6th January 2023.

ARE PUB CRAWLS FINISHED?

The press has been awash recently with the news that CAMRA has advised its members not to use terms like ‘pub crawls’, ‘joining the lads for a swift few’, or even ‘happy hours’.

The organisation which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary hopes that by avoiding these terms it will be seen as more welcoming. CAMRA claims these terms are alienating to many and promote out-dated stereotypes.

Instead it is suggested that terms such as ‘pub tour’ or to ‘treat your colleagues to a drink after work’ are used as they are more inclusive.
Earlier in 2022 CAMRA launched a ‘Diversity and Inclusivity’ survey as part of an aim to attract more women, gay people and ethnic minorities and to be seen as a less pale, male and stale organisation.

But there has been a backlash to the ‘guidelines’ with claims that the organisation has ‘lost its way’ and is promoting a woke culture that is out-of-touch with reality. Others see it as a positive way to be more inclusive in its dealing with the public.
With an ageing and falling mainly male membership it may continue to be a hard uphill struggle as such terms are ingrained into UK drinking culture.

One drinker at the bar said he would be going out on a pub crawl around town with the lads and every hour would be a happy hour, whatever the CAMRA diehards might wish. maybe its all just one of those molehills.

The local CAMRA group has been asked for a comment.

COMMUNITY PUB FUNDING

The government has announced a new round of funding to help communities buy their local pubs.

The Community Ownership Fund has been boosted by £6.7million which can be used to match fund input from local voluntary and community organisations that wish to take ownership of premises that have fallen into disrepair and who have a credible plan for future success.

Six pubs have already received a total of £1.5m funding, taking it to a total of 17 helped since the beginning of the year. The Community Ownership Fund is running for four years until 2024/25 with a total of £150million “to support the purchase and/or renovation costs of community assets.”

Proposals will need to prove the value of the asset to local people and that the asset can run sustainably for the long-term benefit of the community. There are detailed requirements on eligibility in order to show that the funding goes to projects with a robust plan for success.

As well as pubs, the fund can be used to support other community-valued facilities such as a local sports ground or a local shop.

Full details are available on the government’s website:
COMMUNITY OWNERSHIP FUND

Nik Antona, Chairman of the Campaign for Real Ale said:

“Our locals are much more than just pubs or social clubs – they are cornerstones of community life which bring people together, provide local services and help to tackle loneliness and social isolation.
“That’s why the Community Ownership Fund is so important – offering a lifeline for groups which want to save or reopen their local for the benefit of their community.”

A NEW PUB FOR WHITCHURCH?

In a very unexpected move a developer has proposed that Whitchurch could have a new public house and it would be part of the community facilities it might provide as part of a much wider scheme.

Property company Genko is proposing development on three sites to the north and west of the small Hampshire town which they say will provide 120 houses, a a open space and a public house. They also propose a 150 space station car park, 32 cycle spaces and a community hub/café, all of which would be within the AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty).

Whitchurch is a target
The rural town of Whitchurch is a currently a target for speculative developers as the government sets ever higher housing numbers. Genko held a public exhibition recently where they presented their proposals which are in early stages although they expect to make their formal planning application in the New Year.
In addition Whitchurch is already the subject of another large proposed development with Barrett David Wilson Homes wishing to build an additional 100 houses to their existing development at Mill Springs in the south of the town.

Meanwhile large scale house building is already underway at Owsla Park/Watership Place and by Foreman Homes at their Roman Park on the old allotments.

No to Genko
Many believe this is over-development of a small rural town known for its country setting and local heritage, pub or no pub. A number of signs have gone up around the area saying No to Genko organised by a local Conservation group.

An unusual suggestion
A public house is a very unusual suggestion in these particularly harsh times for the hospitality trade and Whitchurch has experienced mixed fortunes. Currently the town’s historic Red House is closed and is the subject of a Planning Appeal against a change of use to residential, while several other pubs have closed in recent years.
However some sectors have flourished such as the Plough Inn at nearby Longparish which was bought by the local community and is going from strength to strength as is the other pub in the same village, the Cricketers.

Meanwhile, Genko have asked Whitchurch residents if they would like a new pub as part of their consultation or whether they would like something else.

Local Town Councillor John Buckley, a supporter of local pubs as important social centres in their communities, said:

“A great many might prefer that Genko went away and didn’t build anything at all, and that customer support went to the excellent existing pubs – the Kings Arms, White Hart, Bell, Prince Regent and the Sports & Social Club – and along the road the Watership Down.“