The whole village comes together to buy and reopen an idyllic iconic pub in the picturesque valley | Bristol Live

Gloucestershire villagers have banded together to buy and reopen a closed Wye Valley pub. The Brockweir Inn was closed to local residents for five years.

But Brockwer residents have now put a plan in place to bring the pub into community ownership and reopen its doors. To raise funds to buy the Forest of Dean pub, a community share offer opens on June 1 and anyone will be able to buy shares and own a bit of this historic pub.

The barn, which dates back to the 1700s, was bought five years ago and closed for renovations. Unfortunately, the work turned out to be more complex and expensive than anticipated, so it was never finished. Now the community plans to buy the pub from the current owner, complete the work and reopen its doors.

Read on

To do this, a management committee was formed which prepared the groundwork with building studies, public meetings, business plan and the like. They are now ready to launch a community share offer so people can buy shares in the pub.

The money created from the Share Launch, as well as the grants it applies for, will bring the pub into community ownership. Following community consultation, there are plans to change the way the Brockweir Inn is run to make it more community friendly.

The Brockweir Inn is intended to be a welcoming place for the whole community, not just pub-goers, according to those behind the scheme. There are plans to use the walls of the pub to showcase the village’s rich history and River Wye heritage and install a community garden as well as create a community space for groups and events.

Forest of Dean Tory MP Mark Harper supports the project and is confident it will reopen. “I fully support the efforts of the Brockweir community to raise funds for the Brockweir Inn to be bought, refurbished and reopened,” he said.

“I have every confidence that the Brockweir Inn will be reopened and I look forward to the day when we can all have a drink at the cherished venue again.” Following the growing trend of more country pubs becoming community-owned and with the help of one of them, the Rising Sun at Woodcroft, as well as the Plunkett Foundation, Brockweir is about to take the plunge.

Sadly, six per cent of all UK pubs have closed in the last 6 years, with 383 pubs closing in the first 6 months of 2023 and 509 in the whole year, according to the Campaign for Real Of. As of January 2024, there are now 174 community pubs in operation and many more under development in the UK, and these community pubs have a 99% success rate in staying open.

Councilor Chris McFarling (G, St Briavels) says the move is a fantastic opportunity the community is taking to bring back the pub that was “pretty much the center of the community”. He added: “As a social and economic centre, this will benefit the community for generations to come.”