Locals raise £300,000 to save village pub but still need someone to run it

Locals who raised more than £300,000 to buy their under-threat local pub are desperate to find someone to run it.

The Fishers Arms in Horncliffe, near Berwick, shut in 2021 but reopened in December 2023 after a massive fundraising effort. Hairy biker Si King, actors Robson Green and Kevin Whately, and the members of the pop group Lindisfarne are supporting them.

The historic public house, built in 1760, is 'the most northerly pub' in England. It stands close to the chainbridge over the River Tweed which takes visitors over the border into Scotland. And it is a popular spot for cyclists and tourists alike.

But after its first tenants quit within three months, only one couple applied for the tenancy, then backed out. Moira Kay, 63, is one of the key members of a team of volunteers who work 14-hour days to keep the venue open.

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She told the Mirror: "We have pensioners in their 80s who do three hours shifts, as well as three or four bar staff and two cleaners. I am a self employed caterer but I have had to give up doing that most of the time to save our darling pub.

"You can pop in for a coffee and a piece of cake if you want to, we have organised events, it is right at the heart of the village. We do B&B with home cooked breakfasts, and it is in a lovely part of the world. We just need someone to take it on."

Robson Green used to pop in while filming for his fishing series, and Si King and Kevin Whately have both offered support. Since it reopened almost two years ago a team of volunteers, as well as paid staff, have kept the pub open seven-days a week

The pub has an Asset of Community Value (ACV) Order made by Northumberland County Council, preventing a change in the use of the building. Horncliffe's 403 residents were desperate to save it after losing their post office and shop.

It cost £185,000 to buy the pub and villagers helped raise the money by selling shares for £500. The pot was also boosted with grants, including from the National Lottery and the Berwick Community Trust.

Hubert Gieschen, North East regional director of the Campaign for Real Ale, said: "It was amazing to see the locals of Horncliffe come together to save the Fishers Arms and take it on under community ownership. It just shows how important pubs are to our social fabric and well being that people are willing to fight to see them saved from closure and conversion.

"Running a pub and keeping it afloat, community-owned or not, is tough in today's unforgiving economic climate."

If a new tenant can be found before winter, they will be offered the first two months of accommodation rent free. The Mirror is backing the Great British Local with our 'Your Pub Needs You' crusade.

Our key demands are a government fighting fund for struggling pubs, and support for community buyouts of endangered locals. We also want a reduction in the VAT rate for the hospitality sector. It has been backed by a number of community groups across the UK. Jack Charlton's son John Charlton, a fellow Northumberland landlord, is also backing the Mirror crusade.