21- Sep-2006 Morning Advertiser - Villagers rally to save Inn
Longden "delighted to help"
A Dorset village pub has been saved from closure thanks to local residents forming their own cooperative to keep the beer pumps flowing.
The New Inn at Shipton Gorge had been shut for almost a year until villagers stepped in to save the day.
The cooperative has now agreed to lease the pub from Bridport brewer Palmers and has successfully sub-let the business to new tenants, local couple Gary Pellow and Sandra Tyson.
The deal was brokered by rural regeneration group Pub Is The Hub and financed partly through a £15,000 grant from the Department of Environment Food & Rural Affairs.
Villagers had already raised £25,000 to help finance improvements and refurbishment at the pub.
"It is the only pub in the village, so residents were adamant they were going to save it and we were delighted to help them on the way," said Hub coordinator John Longden.
Palmers' tenanted trade director Tim Woodrow said: "We are delighted to see the New Inn back in action and providing a service for the village once again."
The pub will be officially re-opened on 29 September by local MP Oliver Letwin.
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