Old Horn offer accepted

Landlords and community reach agreement

The Old Horn Community Group has taken yet another step forward in its’ journey to becoming a community pub, as the current landlords have accepted a bid for the pub.

Now their offer has been accepted, the OHCG can apply to the Community Ownership Fund for funding towards their bid. Cllr Tom Jones has written in support of this application - below is the letter he sent;

I am writing in support of the application made by the Old Horn Community Group.

The Old Horn is the last pub in Spennithorne. Its loss would be a tremendous blow to the village and a regrettable step towards the deracination of this wonderful community. This hollowing out of our villages means an impoverishment of what Michael Sandel calls ‘our common life’, which is essential for people’s mutual flourishing.

The way to create stable, cooperative and contented communities is to rebuild ‘our common life’ by repairing relationships and renewing institutions that provide a sense of belonging.

In rural areas like Spennithorne community spaces are few and far between, so pubs like the Old Horn are central to that common life. They remain, as they have done for hundreds of years, both a venue in which to establish relationships and an institution that provides a sense of belonging.

For people in rural areas like Spennithorne, the effects of the loss of our common life is clear; increased isolation and loneliness. Farming and other agricultural related professions are known to face particular mental health challenges, with higher than average rates of both depression and suicide. The Farm Safety Foundation reporting that that one farmer a week in the UK dies by suicide whilst research by Edinburgh University has shown that the rate of suicide in the veterinary profession is at least three times that of the general population.

Since the process to purchase the Old Horn as a community asset began, there has been energetic and organic community leadership. This has seen people stand up for themselves and taking a real civic pride in where they live and what their community looks like – in, namely, the improvement of their common life.

Economically, the pub is a large drawn for local tourism businesses such as holiday lets and caravan parks; a local pub is a huge draw to holidaymakers and its’ loss would have a huge knock-on effect to the local economy. Some of these businesses are not large enough to buy and sustain a pub as part of their business model, so instead these businesses are supporting the community buyout.

The level of financial commitment - and the speed at which this was achieved - shows the backing this project has from the community, and how important the pub is.

To allow the pub to pass into private hands without at least giving the opportunity to a community so clearly motivated, so well organised and so keen to take on the rights and responsibilities of looking after their pub would be a grave error.

It is entirely right that the community are given the chance to put pints into public hands, and I ask that you give the community a chance to improve its’ common life.

The Community Ownership Fund was set up by Rishi Sunak (as Chancellor) to help communities buy and protect their most precious assets inspired by local success stories like The Green Dragon at Exelby, The George and Dragon in Hudswell and Cllr Jones’ old local, The Foresters Arms at Carlton in Coverdale.

If you’d like more information about this project, please contact the Old Horn Community Group online or via oldhorn.community@gmail.com.