UK 'ghost town' village becomes first in Britain to buy its own library, shop and PUB
2 年前
A village has become the first in Britain to buy its library, post office, shop, community centre and PUB to save them from closure in a bid to stop becoming a 'ghost town'.
Dubbed the heart of the village, the Trawden Arms in Lancashire served locals for 126 years before it was put up for sale by its owners in March last year.
Having opened in 1895, the boozer survived two world wars and countless recessions but it was the Covid-19 pandemic it fell victim to, and was unable to find a landlord willing to buy.
Fearful the pub in Trawden would be bought by developers and turned into housing, residents began an application to have it listed as an asset of community value.
With national lockdowns restricting the ability to meet face-to-face, villagers took to Zoom and Facebook groups to drum up interest for a possible takeover.
Locals rallied round to raise £550,000 - mostly by the 400 residents having bought shares - with the sale completed last month.
Adam Young, 38, and Jo Stafford, 35, have now been sworn in as the new tenants of the Trawden Arms.
The purchase of the pub marks the fourth time the villagers have taken matters into their own hands.
Volunteers already run the village store, the local library, which includes the post office, and the community centre, which are all run by the community trust.
Community Trust chair Steven Wilcock, 67, who spearheaded the move, said: "Before all this happened, one pub had already closed which was devastating for a small village.
"The centre and library building were on their last legs and there was no feeling of community spirit.
"Now the whole village has rallied together and it's paid off!
"We had to get a group of enthusiastic people together who had the knowledge of raising the funds.
"Certainly how we raised funds for the library and the community centre over a long period of time gave us that experience to get the pub.
"Community spirit has never been higher and all three buildings are busy all the time.
"Others have said how the pandemic made them realise how important the pub was with meeting friends and just generally getting together, we were determined not to lose the character of the village.
"But that aside, the pub is such a lifeline for those who live alone.
"It's been here for christenings, birthdays, weddings and funerals over the years.
"We're all looking forward to going down to our local pub but that isn't opening until the new year.
"It has brought the community together and I'm so proud."
The community centre was acquired in 2014 by locals after the borough council was about to close it down due to cuts.
It is now staffed from a group of 120 volunteers working two-hour shifts.
In 2018 the villagers saved its local library and local shop.
The shop is supplied by local producers and staffed by volunteers, giving the villagers a stake in its success.
Steven added: "When you think about it these type of businesses are sustainable where maybe private businesses aren't.
相關影片推薦
- 3:592024「時尚奧斯卡」Met Gala直擊 Jennie秀性感蠻腰 千黛亞霸氣亮相 南非歌手首度登場 被「抱」上會場Yahoo奇摩(國際通)14,838 次觀看・6 小時前
- 1:34台荷混血三兄弟大哥扛家計 娶美嬌娘太平雲梯辦婚禮民視影音95,325 次觀看・1 天前
- 2:0250元硬幣怎分辨真假? 專家教你分辨真偽民視影音28,949 次觀看・2 天前
- 2:02停紅燈遭後車撞亡 業務員上班遇死劫獨留妻兒TVBS新聞網影音16,767 次觀看・3 天前
- 1:18直擊美龍捲風侵襲可怕瞬間 狂風驟起、屋頂被掀翻 行車記錄器全都錄Yahoo奇摩(國際通)11,105 次觀看・6 小時前
- 1:05這對南韓CP讓大家又相信愛情了! 曬出約會照粉絲激動:請原地結婚娛樂星聞5,138 次觀看・22 小時前
- 1:52可惡!花蓮西瓜農遭盤商剝削 價格對半砍民視影音34,287 次觀看・6 小時前
- 2:49帥老闆控女客跟騷4年 發「不自殺聲明」求助警華視影音240,608 次觀看・1 天前
- 1:21北市信義區女陳屍屋中估逾2週 警鎖定丈夫追查華視影音9,701 次觀看・3 天前
- 1:41都更後變無家可歸! 住戶拿70萬怨:廁所都買不到東森新聞影音152,349 次觀看・3 天前
熱門必看
- 12:49你是外向E人還是內向I人?水瓶座竟跌破大家眼鏡是I人無誤!?Ep.216-2唐綺陽談星室48,497 次觀看・1 週前
- 8:36上完課、開完會還是有聽沒有懂? 8分鐘學會用AI幫你統整重點!Yahoo創作摩人47,909 次觀看・1 週前
- 9:50【四驅車製作】#77 新三角箭ZMC 混碳版再次製作~ 等了四年啊!!! 爆走兄弟Let's & Go!! 四驅兄弟 ミニ四駆 NEO-TRIDAGGER ZMC 《曼仕德》雷達之星4,917 次觀看・1 週前
- 0:07台北馬來西亞餐廳推薦|#肉骨潘三八旅客,旅遊美食3,763 次觀看・1 週前
- 14:47全台唯一自動炒菜機烹飪的麻辣燙?! 多到蓋不起來的炸雞便當!超浮誇蛤蜊麵!桃園中壢|你不能錯過的高評價美食!我是馬鈴薯小姐雁靈34,941 次觀看・1 週前