Village's last pub set to reopen after three-year fight

A community group has bought a village's last remaining pub after a three-year battle to raise the money.

Gloucestershire's Rose and Crown, which closed in 2023, has been purchased by Nympsfield Community Pub Ltd (NCPL) for £350,000.

But group leaders have said they still have a "big mountain ahead" as they need to raise more than £100,000 to pay for repairs and renovations.

NCPL is hoping to complete the most pressing work in six months, when they plan to reopen the pub for drinks but not food.

Matthew Burke, the group's co-founder, said one of the biggest costs will be replacing the pub's roof.

"Coming into the pub when it's all decorated with nice lighting and some fires going, you know, you think, 'oh, this looks good'.

"But it doesn't take long before you sort of scratch beneath the surface and realise that there's very little in the way of utilities in there - and certainly any utilities that work," Burke said.

Work to build a new roof is expected to cost £100,000 and Burke added there are only two working plug sockets in the building.

NCPL is hoping money from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and fundraising events will pay for most of the renovations.

Increasing product costs and rising energy bills have seen a huge number of pubs fail in recent years, with the British Beer and Pub Association predicting that one would close every day in 2025.

After widespread pleas for support, last month the government announced pubs will receive a 15% discount on their business rates bills from April and will not see increases for two years.

Treasury Minister Dan Tomlinson said the three-year package would be worth £1,650 for the average pub in 2026-27.

Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.