White Hart, Chilsworthy, Cornwall

Background
Chilsworthy is the name of two villages in south east Cornwall. One is on the Cornish side of the river Tamar, just upstream from Gunnislake. The other is about 3km north west of Holsworthy in Devon. The Cornish side is a small and rural with a population of 800.

A pub has been at the site of the White Hart since the 16th Century, although the pub has burnt down twice in this time.

The owners, Ian and Amy Durnal have been at the pub since September 2017 and have already invested in refurbishing and improving drinks and food served in the pub. They have been rewarded by being recognised as Cornwall Kernow CAMRA Pub of the Year 2019.

There are no other services in the village of Chilsworthy so the couple try to support the local community as much as they can.

Project Summary
Ian and Amy approached Pub is The Hub for a general chat about diversifying their pub business to enhance community life and village services. Following a community survey, they realised that a community shop with a printing service would be the best option.

With support and advice they were able to successfully apply for a grant from Pub is The Hub’s Community Services Fund toward the cost of the development.

Outcomes
The small local shop and printing service is now up and running and with the support of the community it is helping with essential products that are needed on a day to day basis.

The BBC have contacted the licensee with a view to possibly of featuring the pub the project and the village.

Lessons to Learn:
Spending a little time to check what is available on the internet and embracing a changing world by an imaginative pub owner has led to a new essential community service supported by some grant funding and possibly some priceless national PR coverage from the BBC and Pub is The Hub.

Project Costs