Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP has welcomed yesterday’s announcement from the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, that The Fishers Arms, Horncliffe in her constituency has been successful in securing £65,000 of funding during the most recent round of the Community Ownership Fund programme.
The MP has visited the pub and the group of local community members who are buying the asset, will conduct a full refurbishment and appoint a tenant who will manage it as a community pub. The Community plan to develop a small shop and a post office facility long term, which will both be supported by local residents.
This project is now one of 98 projects awarded funding across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This funding will help save a treasured local asset that will provide multiple benefits for the local community. The government has so far committed almost £24m to projects across the UK to save local assets at risk of closure.
The Community Ownership Fund forms a key part of the UK Government’s levelling up agenda. The Community Ownership Fund is a £150 million fund over 4 years to support community groups across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to take ownership of assets which are at risk of being lost to the community. It forms part of a substantial package of UK wide levelling-up interventions, helping to support recovery, build opportunity and empower communities to improve their local places.
The Government recognises it can sometimes be hard for community groups to raise the funding needed to buy the asset and run it sustainably for the long-term benefit of the community. The Community Ownership Fund will help support local people to save local community assets at risk.
Anne-Marie said of the news:
“I was thrilled to be told by the Chancellor that the Fishers Arms had been successful in their bid for Government funding in the community’s long-running campaign to save and restore the Fishers Arms. I want to thank the local team for their amazing hard work so far – I know they will use this funding to help ensure the Fishers Arms remains a much-loved asset to the community of Horncliffe for many years to come. I am looking forward to pulling a pint behind the bar once it has re-opened!”
Louise Giddens of the Fishers Arms Management Committee said:
"We are extremely grateful for this grant funding. It not only puts us closer to opening our community pub, but also validates our business plan, our vision and all the hard work our community has put in to make this happen. We are delighted to be able to move our project forward."
The team would still need to raise a further £20,000 to complete works to the roof, so please do consider donating if you can - details HERE on how to donate and full details of the team's plan HERE.