WYESIDE villagers have grouped together to try and buy and reopen an historic closed pub.
The Brockweir Inn has been shut to local residents for the past five years.
But villagers have now put a plan in place to bring the pub into community ownership and open its doors again.
To raise funds to buy the Forest of Dean pub, a community share offer has been opened this week and anyone will be able to buy shares and own a bit of the historic premises, which sits beside the Wye.
The pub, which dates back to at least the 1700s, was bought five years ago and closed for refurbishment work.
But the work became more complex and costly than anticipated, and it never got finished.
Now the community is planning to buy the pub from the current owner, finish the work and reopen its doors again.
To do this a management committee has been formed that’s been preparing the ground work with building surveys, public meetings, a business plan and the like.
And they are now launching a community share offer so that people can buy shares in the pub, which sits near the Brockweir bridge across the Wye on the English side of the river.
The money created from the Share Launch, as well as the grants that they are applying for, will hopefully bring the pub into community ownership.
And after consulting with local residents, there are plans to change the way the Brockweir Inn is run to make it more community friendly.
The Brockweir Inn wants to be a welcoming place for the whole community, not just the pub goers, according to those behind the scheme.
There are plans to use the walls of the pub to show the rich history of the village and its River Wye heritage and to install a community garden, as well as creating a community space for groups and events.
The Forest of Dean’s Conservative MP Mark Harper gave his support to the project before Thursday’s Dissolution of Parliament, and said he had every confidence it would reopen.
“I fully support the efforts being made by 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 a day when we can all have a drink in the cherished location again.”
Following the growing trend of more rural pubs becoming community owned and with the help of one of them – the Rising Sun at nearby Woodcroft – as well as the Plunkett Foundation, Brockweir is in line to take the plunge.
Sadly six per cent of all UK pubs have closed in the last six years, with 383 pubs closing in the first six months of 2023 and 509 over the whole year, according to the Campaign for Real Ale.
Pubs that have ceased trading in recent years in Monmouth include The Three Horseshoes, The Vine Tree and The Gatehouse, with the historic Queen’s Head also closed for the last six months, with no word of whether it will reopen.
As of January 2024, there are now 174 community pubs up and running, and many more are in the pipeline across the UK, with these community pubs having a 99% success rate of staying open.
Councillor Chris McFarling (Green, St Briavels) says the move is a fantastic opportunity that the community are taking to bring back the pub which was “almost the centre of the community”.
“As a social and economic hub this will benefit the community for generations to come.”
To find out more about the venture and to find out how you can buy a share of the Brockweir Inn, go to thebrockweirinn.com