The Punchbowl Inn in Burton in Lonsdale (North Yorkshire) re-opened under community ownership in December.

The 18th Century coaching inn was once one of eight hostelries in the village, and is now the last one remaining.

After more than 18 months of being closed, £275,000 raised and 1,400 volunteer hours put in, the pub is now trading again, and follows the village shop in being owned by the community. It plans to offer accommodation at Easter 2026.

Congratulations to The White Swan in Gressenhall (Norfolk), which has become the first UK pub to earn a Waterwise Checkmark.

During the assessment, The White Swan showcased a comprehensive and proactive approach to managing its water use. Measures implemented included: the installation of dual-flush toilets; smart metering to monitor real-time water use, identify unusual patterns, and prevent waste; water butts to capture rainwater for outdoor use; and a detailed action plan covering benchmarking, ongoing monitoring, leak prevention, kitchen water efficiency, as well as staff and customer engagement.

Three years after closure, The Oakbank in Sandbank (Argyll) has re-opened its doors as a community-owned pub.

Located in the breath-taking surroundings of the Holy Loch, it has been running pop-ups, workshops and charity mornings during its recent refurbishment.

More events are being added all the time with the building becoming ready to trade again. “Whatever the community wants – knitting groups, book clubs, exhibitions, ‘sober nights’ – it should be a hub more than a pub and somewhere to alleviate social isolation,” says Dawn Petherick, development officer.

Downderry & Seaton Community Shop and Cafe (Cornwall) had its grand reopening in December, almost three years since people lost its local place to buy bread and milk, and much more.

After a long journey of securing the premises, the community spent just eight and a half weeks transforming an outdated shop into a modern community hub. Local tradespeople carried out the work, and volunteers filled the gaps, supported by financial contributions. Today, the new space includes a café, a visiting post office twice a week and a flexible meeting point for local groups – restoring Downderry’s social heartbeat.

A shop manager is supported by 74 volunteers, and the shop and cafe is committed to working with local suppliers, and are proud to support farmers and producers across Cornwall.

Nearly 200 people gathered in Stoke St Gregory (Somerset) for the annual Boxing Day Folklore Celebration.

The much-loved tradition once again brought villagers together to celebrate the local heritage outside the community-owned and run pub-hub, The Royal Oak.

The village square was filled with traditional Mummers storytelling, inspired by local legends and customs. Visitors of all ages enjoyed the performance and family-friendly ambiance, creating a lively and welcoming atmosphere at the heart of the village.

It’s been a busy time at The Lion at Ickleton (Cambridgeshire)! The community pub, which opened in June 2025 with Plunkett’s support, has now opened a community café on its premises, initially on the third Friday of the month. Community café lead Lizzie Mollo said: “Since opening, the response to our café has been overwhelmingly positive. It’s been lovely to see so many friendly faces enjoying coffee, cake and a chat together.

In November, The Lion also hosted a Going Green event to celebrate all the energy-efficiency improvements they have made on site (thanks to a Net Zero Villages Grant funded by Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority and administered by South Cambridgeshire District Council) and to share tips on eco-friendly home improvements.

The doors of Ty’n Llan in Llandwrog (Gwynedd) have reopened after a stunning makeover. The community bought the pub three years ago and initially traded while essential refurbishment took place. Now, after a major redevelopment and expansion, including five luxury guest rooms, the pub is now a modern hub for both locals and visitors. The group has also appointed a new Community Officer to provide a range of activities and services for the community, ensuring the pub meets the needs of everyone in the village.

Aston on Clun Community Shop (Shropshire) has been honoured with the King’s Award for Voluntary Service. The King’s Award is the highest accolade for volunteer groups and is the equivalent of an MBE. The community shop opened in 2013 and is open every day except Christmas Day.

Pauline Johnson, who chairs the management committee, said: “I moved here six years ago and I thought ‘oh great there’s a shop around the corner’ but I didn’t understand the value of the shop until I got more involved. I started off cleaning it during Covid and then I got asked to go on the committee.

“The value of the community shop is so much more than selling things. It is a hub, it is a place where you catch up with people, you meet others, you find out local news.”

The Bishop of Newcastle, Rt Rev Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, recently joined the flock who gather each month for Pints and Praise at The Fishers Arms, Horncliffe (Northumberland).

Led by the Revd Rob Kelsey, this informal gathering – at the establishment that was named UK’s Friendliest Pub 2025 – brings the community together for worship and fellowship in a warm and welcoming setting. Attendees can request their favourite hymns in advance, and, in spite of the event name, adverts state ‘other types and volumes of drink are also available’.

Rogiet Community Junction (Monmouthshire) opened its new-build community-owned shop, café and hub on 22 October, giving an improved, permanent home to its community business. The building has been constructed on community land facing out over playing fields and has been inspired by the railway heritage of the village

After an excellent fundraising campaign, this pub, set in stunning surroundings on the west coast of Scotland, is now leased and run by the community benefit society, Glenuig Community Inn Ltd. They also recently featured in Guardian Weekend’s feature, ’30 of the best pubs for an autumn escape with great food.

Plunkett member, The Chequers, Roxwell (Essex) starred in a feature about community-owned pubs broadcast on BBC Morning Live. Presenter Jess Wright visited the pub which opened at the end of 2024 with support from Plunkett. Click the link below and scroll to 34 minutes, and the feature is 7 minutes long.

Ralph, a volunteer at Monks Eleigh Community Shop (Suffolk), was interviewed by The Hotel Inspector for a forthcoming series. The shop was full of people with cameras but the Post Office carried on serving as usual while Ralph answered all of her questions.

Glen Moore MP recently visited the group at Pitton Community Store (Wiltshire) who have secured the funds to go ahead with their build in January. They recently reached their target of £210,000 in pledges and have successfully been awarded a grant of £97,000 from the Wiltshire Shared Prosperity Fund for Rural Hubs, enabling them to not just build but fully fit out the shop too.

Plunkett Members and Recommended Suppliers, MCFT, have had their new Training Facility in Reading opened by HRH The Princess Royal. Her Royal Highness began by touring the training classrooms of the commercial kitchen equipment maintenance specialists. She met with a cohort of apprentices and spoke to both trainers and trainees. She showed a keen appreciation of the life journey that learners are engaged on – joining with minimal experience, from a variety of jobs, undertaking a Level 3 technical apprenticeship. The Princess Royal’s visit ended a momentous day for MCFT – that morning they received an award as No 1 SME apprentice provider at the House of Lords alongside other businesses from the UK.

The Campaign to Save The Ship Inn, Portloe (Cornwall) is going from strength-to-strength, with residents fundraising over £400,000 through a highly-successful community shares offer. The group hopes to get the pub – which dates back to the 18th century – restored and up and running in time for Christmas.

The Wigtown Ploughman (Dumfries and Galloway) can continue holding its popular monthly Memory Café thanks to a generous donation from the town’s shop. The funding provides a huge contribution to set-up costs and covers running costs for the next year. The Memory Café is a brilliant meeting space which welcomes people living with memory loss, and their carers. It is run by fantastic volunteers, with help from Alzheimer Scotland, and takes place on the 2nd Friday of each month.

The Black Lion in Skelton-on-Ure, near Ripon (North Yorkshire), is getting closer to opening after a period of renovation and with tenants now in place. They are due to fully open in November. The pub has already opened during the daytimes as a café run by volunteers. The photo shows the ‘Buy a Brick Scheme’ wall, and all the people community with a stake in the pub.

The traditional Tattie Day was marked once again in Morebattle (Scottish Borders) in mid-September. The community-owned Templehall Inn was at the heart of the action with 64 buckets of potatoes grown by local residents emptied and weighed in the pub car park, and then turned into fresh chips by the pub’s chef.

Come and get your great-value, eco-friendly herbs and spices! Trawden Forest Community Shop (Lancashire) offers a refill of oregano for just 20p – and this bargain is not a one-off. The shop seeks to reduce packaging and avoid single-use plastic. It has 50 herbs and spices refills, as part of its brilliant ‘Filling Station’, which is dedicated to zero packaging with over 250 lines including laundry products, tea and coffee beans where customers can buy just the amount required using their own container.