Closed Cornish pub to get £240k of levelling up cash to help 'rescue' it
The Prince of Wales is described as a focal point for the local community
A closed pub in west Cornwall is getting almost a quarter of a million pounds to help 'save' it.
The Prince of Wales, at Newtown-in-St-Martin on the Lizard, will get £240,000 from the government's Levelling Up fund.
The pub has been described as a focal point for the community after the local shop, garage and school closed.
The government says that in a 'boost for Great British boozers', endangered pubs in rural areas across the country will be put into the hands of the local community, giving them a new lease of life for generations to come.
The pubs are among 10 new projects being rescued with a total of £1.8 million of funding from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
The money is being awarded from the department’s £150 million Community Ownership Fund, which helps communities take ownership of assets and amenities at risk of closure.
Secretary of State for Levelling Up Michael Gove said: “Pubs, historic buildings and sports clubs form a vital part of our heritage, and for too many places they are a disappearing part of the local community.
“That is why we are helping local people take control of these beloved community assets, which would otherwise be lost.
“This sits right at the heart of our vision for levelling up – giving people the power to make positive changes in their local community and restoring pride in the places where the live.”
Today’s allocations also include funding for a sports academy in Northern Ireland, a community centre in Scotland, an historic chapel in County Durham and a village shop and post office in Dorset.
CAMRA National Chairman Nik Antona said: “Where dedicated local people are willing to save pubs in their area from closure, demolition or conversion to another use it is right that they are supported to do just that.
“Our locals are vital parts of our social fabric - bringing people together, helping to tackle loneliness and social isolation, and providing a range of services for rural communities they serve.
“That’s why it is so encouraging to see that more communities are benefiting from Community Ownership Funding to secure the future of pubs in their communities.”
The successful projects confirmed today include:
• £240,000 for the Prince of Wales pub on the Lizard in Cornwall, which has become a focal point for the community after the local shop, garage and school closed in recent years.
• £150,000 will breathe new life into the Bell Inn in Leicestershire, which closed two years ago and was likely to be lost to developers.
• £56,760 to restore the historic Chapel in Weardale which attracts tourists from all over the world, and creating new employment opportunities for the local community.
• £247,500 will revive the much-loved George building and its courtyard garden in Newham, to create a fun, thriving historic community spot for residents and visitors - helping to build a stronger, more resilient community.
• £204,800 will keep the doors of Fontmell Magna village shop and Post Office open in Dorset. The café and tea garden are the only local services and are one of the focal points for community life.
• £235,952 will support local junior football and street cricket clubs in Adwick Park, with refurbished facilities.
• £237,500 of investment has given a pub in rural Wiltshire a lifeline, a pub that has stood at the heart of the communities of the Ogbourne Saint Andrew, Maizey and Rockley hamlets for over 100 years. The Silks pub is the only place that locals can get together - making it vital to the lives, wellbeing, and economy of the community