EFFORTS to reopen a Wye Valley village pub on the English and Welsh border have been boosted by a Jilly Cooper-style calendar and news that planning permission has been granted to restore the Grade II listed 16th century building.

Volunteers are battling to bring the Wyeside Brockweir Inn back to life, with calendar copies bought as far away as Alaska, Maui and New Zealand.

Villager Carol Knight says the calendar project based on Cooper’s novel Rivals brought the community together and had been "tremendous fun".

A community share issue raised funds to buy the pub two years ago, while Brockweir Inn Friends and Fundraisers have already raised £25,000 towards the refurbishment through music events and an auction in the village.

Carol, who has lived in the village all her life, says: "People have risen to the challenge... and now greet one another with a hug rather than just a good morning."

Fellow villager Liz Keast told BBC Gloucestershire: "We nearly gave up, but we all got back together, bought the shares and we're doing all the fundraising and are all now really excited".

The Brockweir calendar shoot in aid of restoring the village pub had been "great fun"
The Brockweir calendar shoot in aid of restoring the village pub had been "great fun" (Brockweir Inn Friends and Fundraisers)

Henry Morland, chair of the Brockweir Inn Community Benefit Society which bought the pub, said planning permission to do the renovations to the listed building had been a "lovely Christmas present" , with people already starting to donate materials and furniture.

"That's the reason why people put money in, because they want to be part of the community," he said.

The inn was purchased in December 2024 by the Brockweir Inn CBS after 395 people invested close to £400,000 to save it for the community.

Fellow villager Diane Orchard said Brockweir’s experience to reopen highlighted the very real challenges facing rural communities trying to protect places that are about far more than profit.

Diane Orchard with fellow Brockweir residents who have voiced concerns about the future of the village pub and the impact its continued closure is having on the local community.
CONCERNED: Diane Orchard with fellow Brockweir residents who have voiced concerns about the future of the village pub and the impact its continued closure is having on the local community. (Tindle)

Ms Orchard said the closure of the village’s only pub has had a profound effect on residents, particularly older people and those living alone.

“For a rural village such as ours, the pub is far more than a business,” she said: “It was one of our very few points of social contact, and for some residents it was the only place where they regularly saw other people. Its closure has increased loneliness and isolation, especially among older residents.”

Members of the Brockweir Inn Community Benefit Society after completing the community purchase of the historic inn in 2024.
PURCHASED: Members of the Brockweir Inn Community Benefit Society after completing the community purchase of the historic inn in 2024. (The Brockweir Inn Community Benefit Society)

While volunteers have continued to fundraise, Ms Orchard said changes in government policy had made the situation more difficult.

Several grants that the group had hoped to apply for were either withdrawn or became unavailable, making it increasingly challenging for small, volunteer-led organisations to move projects like this forward.

So villagers have had to think outside the box, such as launching the eye-catching community calendar.

Supporters say the fundraising has helped rebuild a sense of togetherness, with the aim to refurbish the listed building in phases as funds allow.

Anyone interested in buying the calendar or helping with the restoration can email [email protected]

For more information about the bid to save the inn, go to https://thebrockweirinn.com