Isle of Wight residents join together in bid to save village’s final pub from closing

Aviv Goode, a Wroxall resident and former operator of the View Cafe at Stenbury Hall, is spearheading the effort to bring the pub into community hands.

The initiative would see the pub acquired and run through a Community Benefit Society (CBS), a structure that ensures all profits are channelled back into the establishment for the village’s benefit.

Ms Goode told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “The community pub is a great opportunity for our village, and I have found myself working with an incredible team who are dedicated to bringing something great to Wroxall.”

She added: “I think the community has experienced a lot of uncertainty and it’s time to bring back some positivity, unity and a place to get together.”

The CBS framework was selected because it grants local people membership, a voice in decision-making, and the chance to participate directly in the pub’s future.

According to figures from the Campaign for Real Ale, community-owned pubs boast a remarkable 95 per cent survival rate.

The charity Plunkett UK is backing the project, helping the community raise the necessary capital to buy, renovate and operate the venue.

Surveys have already been distributed among villagers to gauge what they would want from the premises.

Residents have shown particular enthusiasm for the food offering and potential extras such as live music evenings.

A shares prospectus will be published in due course, and pound-for-pound match funding from the government is available.

Ms Goode stressed that the village would not be expected to shoulder the full financial burden alone, noting that any sum raised locally could be doubled through Government matching.

A number of grants are also being explored, and the CBS has the option of securing a mortgage to help fund the purchase.

The campaign has also lodged an application to have the pub designated as an Asset of Community Value.

An ACV listing applies to buildings or land considered important to the social wellbeing of the local area.

Should the property receive ACV status and subsequently be put up for sale, the community would be granted a six-month window to prepare a bid and secure funding.

Ms Goode said: “Securing Wroxall’s last pub as an ACV means that it will not be sold and developed into flats, for example.”

She declared: “We believe this is Wroxall’s last chance at having a pub.”

The village has already endured upheaval in recent months after the Wroxall Community Association ended its rental arrangement with the View Cafe, a decision that prompted roughly 40 residents to stage a demonstration outside Stenbury Hall.

The WCA stated at the time that relationships had been “severely compromised” to a degree it considered “beyond repair”.