Community Pub Project

Many of you are probably aware that The Jolly Huntsman has been for sale for quite some time and that the owners wish to move on after a long and successful tenure.

In order to keep the pub open as a vibrant part of our community, and in the current absence of any other buyers, the possibility of acquiring the pub as a Community Pub is being explored.

At a well-attended meeting in the village hall on March 21st, a positive reception was received for exploring the possibility of acquiring The Jolly Huntsman pub and establishing it as a community pub. To move forward, we're now looking to assemble a committee, and your skills could make a real difference.

If you have some time to spare and skills in areas like marketing, fundraising, accounts, management, accommodation, cheffing, bar work, property law, surveying, etc, we'd greatly appreciate your help. Equally, if you have ideas on how the community could benefit, we want to hear from you. Is there something that we can get done? The support shown so far is encouraging, but we truly need your involvement to make this vision a reality. We are looking to form the initial management committee to proceed with this project.

To volunteer or learn more, please feel free to reach out to Alex Hall at alex.hall@kington-st-michael.com or Linda Durno at kingtonstmichael@btinternet.com or call (01249)750514. An inaugural meeting will be next and we hope to take this forward for the village. Your contribution could be the key to turning this community plan into a successful venture.

Committee
Alison Curran
Linda Durno (Chairman)
Rob Durno
Gerry Gamble
Alex Hall (Secretary)
Dominic Jones (Treasurer)
Neil White (Vice-chair)

Help!
Several of you have very kindly offered to join our committee, but didn't leave contact details - if you were one of those who offered, please could you get in touch with us - we don't want you to think that we're ignoring you!! We also had responses from an accountant and someone who listed skills as "Art & design and inclusion advice" - sadly no contact details so please do get in touch. Please contact Linda Durno on (01249) 750514, email kingtonstmichael@btinternet.com, or Alex Hall on (01249) 750602, email alex.hall@kington-st-michael.com.

Update #1 11.05.24

Thank you to everyone who has returned our questionnaire or completed it online – anyone in your household aged 18+ can fill in their own copy. If you require another paper questionnaire, please let us know, or complete yours online via https://kington-st-michael.com/pub. We would love to have all responses in by Tuesday 14th May, please, as we now have some deadlines to meet!!

Here’s our update so far:

Following April’s well-attended meeting held by the parish council, and listening to all those who attended, the overwhelming result was to look in to the possibility of acquiring the pub to be run as a community pub.
However, if another appropriate buyer for the pub is identified, then we would step aside and return all funds raised.
The Community Pub Project group is registering as a Community Benefit Society (CBS).
We are setting up a bank account.
We are now members of the Plunkett Foundation (https://plunkett.co.uk), and they are providing us with professional assistance.
We are in the process of applying for grants. This requires a lot of due diligence and we are progressing through the requirements.
If this project reaches fruition, we fully intend on appointing a tenant landlord.
The pub is a unique proposition and has always complemented other village businesses. We fully believe a vibrant pub, open to all, is the heart of a village and want to maintain that tradition.

We still have three spaces on our committee and would welcome anyone who would like to help; contact Linda Durno on (01249) 750514, email kingtonstmichael@btinternet.com, or Alex Hall on (01249) 750602, email alex.hall@kington-st-michael.com.

Please keep an eye on our Facebook page for all the latest news and information.

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Community Pub Survey

For most villages a pub is a vital service; it is a meeting place, communication centre and an important lynchpin of village life. Much of the appeal of our village rests on its sense of community. It is the reason many people have moved here and remain here. The Jolly Huntsman has been here for hundreds of years and is on the market for the first time in 20 years. A community owned pub would, we feel, greatly enhance community spirit.

This questionnaire is the first step. We need to know your views on what might be provided and what would receive your support. Please be as honest and realistic as possible in your answers! Your response will be treated in confidence. You don’t have to provide your name or contact details, but if you do it will help us keep you informed about the results and progress of the project. Please note that each adult member of your household is welcome to complete the survey (if you require more paper versions, please just ask).

The questionnaire can be completed here: https://kington-st-michael.com/pub
or by a hard copy which will soon be coming through your letterbox, and can be dropped off at the village shop or collected on request. Please only use one method and not both. The results will be presented to a public meeting and will be available online. The survey is for anyone interested.

We would also like to hear from you if you feel you could help in any way with managing the project. There will be a wide range of tasks to be done, from the initial setting up of the project, to managing the enterprise and potentially being involved in the day to day practical operation.

This kind of venture has been successfully achieved in other communities all over the UK. There are currently 52 co-operative pubs in the UK and most of these have been set up with the support of the charity Plunkett Foundation (www.plunkett.co.uk). Will our community be the next one? We are supported by the Plunkett Foundation.

If you wish to speak directly to someone about this project please contact one of the following:

Alex Hall: alex.hall@kington-st-michael.com
Tel. 01249-750602
Linda Durno: kingtonstmichael@btinternet.com
Tel. 01249-750514

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NEWS

April:
Growing public interest in Community-Owned Pubs
KSMCP is now a member of the Plunkett Foundation

Can You Help?
We're looking for a some help with the Community Pub project:

Do you have any experience in completing grant applications and would be willing to help with completing the forms, or do you know of someone who can help?
Are you a building surveyor who would volunteer your services pro bono?
Do you have any other talents that you could bring to our group?
Do you have any bookkeeping experience (regarding our grant/fundraising money, not for the pub itself)?

If so, please contact Linda Durno on (01249) 750514 or email kingtonstmichael@btinternet.com.

Annual Parish Meeting briefing notes 11.04.24
Parish Meeting Notes 21.03.24

Please find a briefing note here and a copy of the pub's 2023 accounts here.