Community spirit could help save village pub

Villagers bought The Halfway House Inn, Polbathic, after it went out of business (Steven Haywood)

Residents of a small village in Cornwall hope the spirit of Christmas will help bring an historic pub into community-ownership.

Villagers have launched a community share offer with support from The Co-operative Enterprise Hub to buy The Halfway House Inn, Polbathic, after the pub's owners went into administration.

It costs £250 to become a co-owner of the newly formed society which aims to raise at least £145,000 by Christmas Eve in order to secure the future of the pub. The Halfway House is eight miles from Torpoint and dates back to at least the mid-19th century.

Vez Sullivan, a member of the newly formed Polbathic Community Pub Co-operative Society, said: "The pub is still trading and we are working very closely with the present tenants. Around £50,000 has been raised so far but, we need at least £145,000.

"This is a one-time opportunity to save a vital community asset for our small village. We hope it might even make the ideal Christmas gift for someone who has always dreamed of owning a pub."

For more information go to www.polbathiccommunitypub.co.uk