Thousands raised in bid to save the Piddle Inn
The Friends of the Piddle Inn put on a pop-up pub to raise the money
Last updated 10th Dec 2021
Piddletrenthide villagers have raised £2,380 in a bid to save their local pub.
The Piddle Inn called last orders for the final time when it closed during the first national lockdown in March 2020. It's since changed ownership but has not reopened as a pub.
Friends of the Piddle Inn in Piddletrenthide organised a pop-up pub event to raise money for their campaign to buy the pub.
They will need significantly more than the £2,380 raised to buy the pub, but that money is intended to fund a Business Buyers report.
The pop-up pub, that was held in the village’s memorial hall on Saturday 27 November, was well attended from 4pm through to last orders at 10.45pm.
The temporary bar served local beer from the Piddle Brewery and Cerne Abbas brewery, alongside wines, cider, soft drinks, and snacks. There was also a raffle and silent auction with a variety of donated prizes.
Lynn Mailer, Chair of the Friends of Piddle Inn, said:
“It was fantastic to see people enjoying themselves. It was nice to see families enjoying the pub early on, and then seeing those who we regularly saw at the Piddle Inn before it closed. It just goes to show that our community wants somewhere to meet each other and have fun.
“We raised £1,300, combined with the money raised on the Crowdfunder we can pay for the Business Buyers report. This report will form the basis for our business plan and advise us on the potential cost of buying the pub.”
A total of £1,080 has been raised online on Crowdfunder.
The next event for the group is a New Years’ Day duck race along the River Piddle.
Lynn added: “We want to keep organising fun events for the community. It will keep our campaign fresh in people’s minds and, also, keep funds coming in to help with the incidental costs involved with buying a business.”
The Friends of the Piddle Inn aim to raise money to buy the pub with a share offer and match funding from Government grants.
For more information join the Friends of the Piddle Inn Facebook group