Our Trainee Marketing and Communications Officer, Michael Wolverson, shares how Plunkett UK’s partnership with the Combined Authority can help save Community Assets.
I’m nearly two months into my time at Plunkett UK, where I have learnt about the details of community-run businesses and their impact on local areas. From my visits to local pubs and shops, I’ve seen first-hand the significant challenges groups face in preserving community assets.
The Ickleton Lion and The Three Horseshoe groups in Cambridgeshire are on a mission to secure their village’s last remaining pub, aiming to transform it into a vibrant community hub instead of housing.
BBC Cambridgeshire has spotlighted their journey, highlighting the urgency of purchasing the pub and the positive impact its preservation would have on the village.
While the media can often dramatise the village revival and historic building restoration when it comes to saving pubs, it doesn’t always capture the intricate process of setting up these businesses and the challenges involved. It’s not merely a financial hurdle, this is where Plunkett can step in to help!
Photo: Outside of The Three Horseshoes, Turves, Peterborough.
Credit: The Three Horseshoes Website.
Plunkett is here to help: our partnership with the Combined Authority
I have learnt that, as an organisation, we can’t do this single-handily, our partnership with the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority is a project that is designed to help.
The aim of the project is to support groups in saving their community assets in the area by taking ownership and operation of assets that are vacant or at risk of closure, revitalising these whilst protecting and providing key local amenities that will benefit the community.
Our mission to support community businesses in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough has been progressing well, with around 165 hours dedicated to fourteen groups so far.
Development grants of up to £7,500 and capital grants of up to £45,000 are available through Plunkett until March 2025.
Rachel Radford, Chair of the Ickleton Lion Group, shared her insights with me, and it was enlightening to hear about her experiences with Plunkett UK and the Combined Authority.
Rachel explained that they are currently in the midst of the purchasing process, and the group reached out to Plunkett for financial business support.
“The start-up grant we have received from the Combined Authority has been very helpful for us, being able to pay for the village hall has helped us interact with the community through weekly meetings and pop-up events, but the village hall doesn’t carry the same function as a pub; there is definitely something missing.”
The community share offer was launched on Wednesday 10 July.
Rachel shared that; while the initial grant was beneficial, it fell short of covering the costs for the community share standard mark assessment. However, with the support of Plunkett and the Combined Authority, additional funding was secured to facilitate the assessment.
Guided by their Plunkett adviser, Hannah Nadim, an experienced community share practitioner, they navigated through the process. She told me that although the assessment usually takes two to four weeks, they successfully completed it in a remarkable ten days.
“It was a really tough process, but we both pulled out all the stops, the thorough preparation enabled us to address all the questions effectively when the share offer launched, as it was clear with precise figures that we could rely on.”
Rachel Radford, Chair of the Ickleton Lion Group.
An ambition to become more than a pub!
Rachel explained that if they are able to raise the funds, their aspiration is to create a welcoming space, particularly for people with dementia or other neuro-diverse conditions, by ensuring appropriate lighting and easy-to-read-menus. Additionally, she told me that, according to the census data, 26% of the village is housed by single occupancy residents, so they want them to be able to come in and be welcomed.
Rachel shared her vision of going beyond the typical pub setting, a concept championed by Plunkett UK through the ‘more than a pub’ programme. She emphasised the importance of combatting loneliness, planning to establish a repair shed in the garden to bring together locals to interact practically. Furthermore, she envisions the space as a welcoming environment for remote workers to socialise and engage with one another.
Rachel said: “we want it to be a space for somebody who lives alone, to just walk in and not feel awkward and be welcomed!”
Launch of the share offer at The Ickleton Lion!
Plunkett’s partnership with the Combined Authority strives to support businesses like The Three Horseshoes and The Ickleton Lion in becoming more than just pubs, enabling them into inclusive and vibrant community hubs, alligning with Rachel’s ideas.
Are you a community group that could qualify for the support from this partnership?
We would love to hear from any community groups in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough’s market towns and villages who are also looking to save an asset that is closed or at risk, or who are looking to restore lost services through community ownership.
Call the Community Business Team on 01993 630022 or click the button below to email us, and find out more about the help available.
