TV show for grant-aided pub rescue

Village pubs doomed for closure are set to receive an extra boost this summer as a BBC television series follows a Wiltshire community group that scooped a £400,000 lottery grant.

A 24-strong residents' group in Honeystreet, Pewsey, Wiltshire, applied to Village SOS with business plans to save a community business — in this case, the Barge Inn. The scheme was funded by the Big Lottery Fund in partnership with the BBC.

The Barge Inn community project steering group used the grant to buy the 20-year lease from a private owner, and operate the 200-year-old inn as a social enterprise to generate money to plough into other local businesses. The venture also supported tourism in Honeystreet, well known for its local crop circle phenomena.

Big Lottery hopes the programme will inspire other rural communities to take over their local pubs. It is also planning to run the Village SOS Learning Campaign which will include an online site where community groups will be able to receive guidance and advice.

Big Lottery Fund's head of region for the south west Mark Cotton said: "This was a rural initiative with the BBC as many areas are suffering from decline in local ammenities. We invested £4.5m in the scheme and that was shared out between 10 businesses, six of which were filmed. The Barge received £433,000. The show follows the ups and downs of the project members trying to turn the pub into the hub of the community, because a village pub is not just about drinking.

"And we're launching the Village SOS Learning Campaign when the series begins for people to share their experiences and find out what villages can do to help their local businesses.

"I hope that it will inspire others to look at their village and say 'we can run that' or 'we could make improvements there'.

"It doesn't have to mean taking over a business; a lot just need a bit of help.