This time last month a group from the CBS Management Committee went to visit The Bell in Frisby on the Wreake. It is a community pub in a village about the same size as ours and has been community owned since early 2022, after the previous owners suggested that the community might like to buy it. They raised over £300,000 in community share issue in November & December 2021, which was matched by the Community Ownership Fund, to fund the purchase and initial refurbishment and now have 250 members in their CBS who are all part of the community business.
We met up with some of their management committee and spoke with the pub manager, who is clearly passionate about the place and a massive part of their success! The pub was buzzing, even on a Wednesday evening – plenty of people catching up with friends over a pint, as well as lots of people having a meal. We thought it rude not to do so too!!
The food was fabulous pub fare, and the drinks were great: it’s a free of tie pub so the manager can source supplies from local places and include guest beers. Food is also sourced from local suppliers as much as possible and the standard was excellent.
In line with many community pubs, The Bell is open Tuesday – Sunday and serves food Wednesday – Sunday. Friday is ‘street food’ night when they host food stalls in the car park. The conservatory is used to host community groups and events, and the garden is an inviting space for summer meet ups.
Everyone was really welcoming and shared some valuable advice based on their experiences. We compared notes on the challenges we have faced, and we were encouraged that our plans for The Oddies are very similar to the approach that the team at The Bell have successfully undertaken. The Management Committee team and the Pub Manager were really positive and encouraging about the model we outlined.
We came away with renewed determination to create a similarly vibrant community hub for our own community. The community pubs network very supportive of each other and we have promised to keep in touch with the team at The Bell. If you want to see what we’d like to achieve in The Oddies for our local community, then we’d recommend a trip to Frisby!
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