AND THAT'S A WRAP!

After a very busy week, preparing for and then attending the Appeal Hearing, we are pausing to reflect and appreciate our neighbours! What a buzz there has been in the last few weeks!!

The community attendance at the Hearing was fantastic - the public gallery was packed for most of the day, with people coming for as long as they could, some even brought a picnic! That, alongside the almost 100 posters to be spotted around the village spoke volumes about community commitment to saving the pub. We gave it our all at the Hearing so we hope it's done the job!

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The village was bustling with people and the 'rural views' were great for the site visit on Thursday - even a cluster of passing cyclists on the junction by the pub gathered just at the right time... serendipity!! I enjoyed having a coffee with the 'Coffee and Chat' members at the Chapel afterwards - so good to catch up with everyone, some of whom I've not seen for a very long time.

We'll find out the Inspectors determination in mid-September. In the meantime, we will continue to work towards a resolution with the owners to secure the pub for the community - we are in a strong position to respond quickly to progress negotiations. We think that the hoped for refusal of the Appeal will focus minds and encourage detailed discussion.

CSSM kitemark

We are also pleased to report that we've received the Community Shares Standard Mark - this is a "gold standard" kite mark for our proposed share issue. This means that we are 'industry approved' and can also access more funding as a result.

It's all very encouraging so all we need now is to agree a purchase!

Don't forget you can keep up with our activities on Facebook, Instagram, X and Bluesky - see the 'get involved' page of the website for all the links and to sign up for newsletters. We also have a YouTube channel full of items about the Oddies and community memories and messages.