You’re passionate about coming together as a community to save and run your village pub – but how do you find the funding to turn that vision into reality? Andrew Dubock, Plunkett UK’s Communications Manager, shares how one North Yorkshire village made it happen.
Nestled amongst rolling green countryside, the charming village of Burton in Lonsdale already has a community-owned shop and once boasted eight hostelries. However, The Punch Bowl Inn is now the last pub in the village.
When the 300-year-old pub faced closure, it was the local people who stepped in to save it – passionate about ensuring it is run for the benefit of everyone in the community for years to come.
“As a community, we did not want to lose the vital hub and open meeting place that held the village together.” (Christine Wardle, The Punch Bowl Management Committee)
Villagers of Burton in Lonsdale celebrate saving their pub under community ownership
An open morning where villagers gave feedback on ideas for the pub’s interiors
Forming a Community Benefit Society
To safeguard the pub’s future, a group of local residents listed it as an Asset of Community Value (a building used to further the social wellbeing of local community).
The group of locals approached Plunkett UK and registered as a Community Benefit Society (CBS) in February 2024.
Becoming a Plunkett member enabled them to receive specialist business support, including finding out how to raise the finance needed and practicalities of how to run the CBS.
Building a robust funding mix
With guidance from a Plunkett adviser, The Punch Bowl applied for the government’s Community Ownership Fund (COF) in April 2024. When the fund was paused during the General Election, the committee were unsure whether their bid would succeed so pressed ahead and launched their Community Shares Prospectus in July 2024, earning the Community Shares Standard Mark.
After several deadline extensions, the group finally raised the minimum amount needed to buy the pub – independent from the COF. December 2024 proved momentous: the sale was agreed, and the group learned they had secured one of the final COF grants for a community pub – an award of £300,000.
The purchase completed in July 2025, refurbishment began in September, and the pub had its grand reopening the week before Christmas 2025.
Co-chairs Ian and Peter with pub manager, Andrew, during the refurbishment
The Punch Bowl Committee strengthened their financing model in several ways:
What are community shares?
Community Shares are a distinct form of investment used by Community Benefit Societies and co-operatives. They are withdrawable – meaning members can request to reclaim their investment – but non-transferable, so they cannot be sold or traded.
Every member gets one vote, no matter how much they invest, making it a fair and democratic way to run the business.
“We decided to go with a mix of social investment types for our best chance of success and to involve as many people in the community as possible. All the volunteer Management Committee are shareholders and were the first to put their money in. We never took for granted that those who said in the early days that they would invest, might actually follow through. But they did, and in greater numbers than we ever expected.”
Christine Wardle, The Punch Bowl Management Committee
Support from near and far
Although there are around 550 permanent residents in Burton in Lonsdale, this is an area popular with tourists and holidaymakers. People with property at the nearby Holiday Park have been highly supportive of the community pub, writing letters for the Community Engagement and Impact Report, buying shares and, more recently, lending equipment for the renovation work. As Christine Wardle says, “They recognised immediately that their success and ours are completely connected.”
The pub has international shareholders too. “We have a cohort in California who are all keen to visit the pub once the letting bedrooms are open. They thought it was such a cool idea to part own an English country pub and were very enthusiastic! And we hosted a group of Swiss musicians for a concert in October 2025 – all because their artist collaborator was welcomed at the pub two years ago, wrote a letter of support for the Community Engagement and Social Impact Report, and then subsequently bought shares.”
More than a pub: a community hub
The vision for The Punch Bowl is to serve great food and drink, but it’s so much more than that too. As one local person in Burton in Lonsdale wrote:
“We can bring the community together in a different way from a conventional pub – people will get to know each other better and new residents made to feel welcome. This is important for social cohesion. It could also help combat loneliness which has been identified as a key problem as people grow older.”
We are here to support you!
Plunkett UK is an expert in supporting community businesses set up, thrive and survive, and we have advisers with practical experience who understand the limitations on time and money.
This article was first published on the blog of Good Finance, whose mission is to help charities and social enterprises, such as community businesses, navigate the world of social investment.
