Campaigners saving Wiltshire village pub from extinction HIT fundraising target

Campaigners who are fighting to save a Wiltshire village pub from extinction have reached their fundraising target.

The Silks on the Downs, in Ogbourne St Andrew, has been closed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

After the previous tenant didn't renew his lease, the pub's owner approached the Parish Council, to gauge local interest around buying the venue outright.

In the months that followed, local residents joined forces in their desire to re-open the pub and founded the Ogbourne Community Pub Society (OCtyPuS).

OCtyPuS' Save the Silks campaign had the sole target of raising enough funds to purchase the historic boozer, as a community.

In February, the Society launched its Community Share Offer, enabling anyone to buy a slice of 'The Silks'. Shareholders were promised a say in how the venue operates.

Since applications opened, the project has gained interest from pub-enthusiasts both locally and worldwide. More than 200 investees have collectively contributed over £200,000 thus far:

'This is so much more than a pub'

The pub, which is over 100-years-old, is located just a stone's throw from the Marlborough Downs. The Society hopes that reviving 'The Silks' would encourage more people to explore local trails.

Throughout its history, the venue has also been firmly embedded in daily life for Ogbourne St Andrew residents.

Stuart Williamson, the OCtyPuS Chairman, says he wants the boozer to serve its villagers: "This is so much more than a pub to us and the local community.

"We're really acutely aware of the challenges that people have faced when it comes to loneliness, isolation, but also some of the challenges of mental and physical wellbeing.

"We don't just want to be a place that will deliver and offer fantastic food, a great place for people (to) enjoy each other's company - and drink.

"We believe that the pub represents an opportunity to create a thriving community".

If OCtyPus is successful with its takeover of 'The Silks', it has pledged to welcome local clubs, coffee-drinkers and visitors needing an information point. The committee would also consider delivering food to local elderly people.

You can hear more from our interview with the campaign leader, recorded just before Save the Silks hit £200,000, below:

According to the British Beer and Pub Association, more than a fifth of UK pubs shut their doors forever between 2000 and 2018.

To stop the demise continuing in Ogbourne St Andrew, people can invest in Save the Silks until 10th August.

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