Former Enterprise site succeeds as community-run pub

Nicknamed the Annie by locals, the former Enterprise pub in Tottenham is now owned by a community group of 300 shareholders and run by a 12-strong management committee.

The Antwerp Arms was first listed as an asset of community value in 2013. Local residents set up the Antwerp Arms Association which used money raised from selling shares alongside a grant of £285,000 from Social Investment Business to make an offer last November.

Management committee member Ashley Grey told the PMA that the atmosphere at the pub had been “fantastic” since its re-opening and it had beaten all its financial targets in the first week.

“We’ve got a number of commitments that we’ve made to the community. These include reviving the local economy by providing jobs, which we’ve done, using local produce and really making the pub a space for everyone from families to senior citizens,” she said.

“When I first arrived in the area the Annie was quite a faceless pub that was only really for Tottenham Hotspur fans on match days. Now it’s very much a place for everyone.”

Grey added that although she was enjoying getting involved in the day-to-day running of the pub, she had “no idea how publicans do it. I’m exhausted”.

She emphasised that the management committee was keen to involve as many supporters as possible in the pub’s future, with plans for shareholder events, and to develop a food offer majoring on local produce and beers from local suppliers, including North London-based brewer Redemption.