The White Lion Open Evening – Wednesday, 23rd February

You are invited to an Open evening at The White Lion pub on Wednesday, 23rd February at 6pm – 8pm 🙂

Work has been going on all week since the tenancy was signed and you are being invited to see what progress has been made, what the plans are and to ask any questions of attending committee members.

Light refreshments will be served but no alcohol at this time.

Read the latest news HERE.

#Broadwindsor,#Drimpton,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Village,#WestDorset,#Dorset,#2022,#DAONB,#DorsetLife,#PalmersBrewery,#TheWhiteLion,#BGPC,#CommunityPub,#Fundraising,#SeeYouThere,#SaveTheWhiteLion,#NewManager,#ComradesArms,#NFP,#Funding,#BeKind,#BeSafe,#StaySafe

The White Lion Saved NEWS UPDATE #8

Community pub campaigners at Broadwindsor signed the tenancy agreement for the White Lion Inn this week.

It took effect on Monday, 14th February and means that the Palmers Brewery-owned pub will become a community pub now that almost £50,000 has been raised through public donations and grant funding.

White Lion management committee chairman David Leader said: ‘Signing the agreement is such a significant milestone in our quest to open up the pub again for the community. It’s great news.’

He also announced that the new manager of the White Lion will be Kate Staff, who will be supported in running the pub by her daughters, Chloe and Louise.

‘We’re very pleased to appoint Kate and her daughters and look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead.’

Kate, whose parents live locally and is well-known in the village for the imaginatively decorated cakes she creates for charity, said: ‘We are very excited to be part of this great project. We have family ties to Broadwindsor and have spent a considerable amount of time in the village over the last eight years and just love being here.
Our vision is to make The White Lion the hub of Broadwindsor, where people can come and feel at home, whether it be for food, drink or just a chat – everyone will be welcome.
As manager, I will be working alongside The White Lion Management Committee to make this a very successful venture. We look forward to making new friends and being a permanent part of this fantastic community.’

The pub, which is in the heart of the village, closed last summer after the tenants took over a pub in Somerset.
Unable to find a landlord to take The White Lion over, Palmers approached Broadwindsor Group Parish Council to see if the community would be interested in running it.
David Leader, who is the Parish Council’s vice-chairman, put together a group to explore the idea and then put it to the village at a public meeting.

A Crowdfunder appeal raised £34,760 with 337 supporters in 28 days. Further funding came from the parish council, Palmers, grants and other donations from the public. The money will be used to renovate the bar area, purchase kitchen equipment and supply working capital. It is hoped that the pub will be open in time for Easter.

The aim is to be modestly profitable but not for private profit. The White Lion will offer food and drink with an emphasis on local produce. We will strive to create a warm, friendly atmosphere and want the pub to be a hub for the community to visit, meet in and carry out as many community activities as possible.

Locals are being invited to an open evening at the pub on Wednesday 23rd February, from 6-8pm, to look around the bar and hear about the refurbishment plans for a revitalised White Lion.

Said David Leader: ‘The local community and people further afield have been so supportive of the project. The response has been incredible. Locals have wholeheartedly embraced the idea of a community pub. There is still lots of work to be done but we’re looking forward to opening the doors and being able to welcome people inside The White Lion once again.’

Chris & Susannah Newall have left the White Lion Management committee which now comprises:

David Leader (Chair)
Elaine Leader
Graham Small (new)
Teri Small (new)
Sandra Burrows
Charles Ouin
Luke Pickering
Andrew Hookings
Margery Hookings
Fraser Hughes
Chris Edgerley
Rick Dyke
John Heyes (new).

SaveTheWhiteLion.Org

Congratulations Kate!

#Broadwindsor,#Drimpton,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Village,#WestDorset,#Dorset,#2022,#DAONB,#DorsetLife,#PalmersBrewery,#TheWhiteLion,#BGPC,#CommunityPub,#Fundraising,#SeeYouThere,#SaveTheWhiteLion,#NewManager,##ComradesArms,#NFP,#Funding,#BeKind,#BeSafe,#StaySafe

Save The White Lion NEWS UPDATE #7

The Save The White Lion crowdfunder has successfully achieved the target of £30,00 and stands at £33,490. The Crowdfunder campaign continues ’til Wednesday 9th February.

Chairman of the White Lion Management committee, David Leader has delivered the follwing statement:

“The fundraising has been simply incredible, to raise such a fantastic sum in such a short period of time clearly demonstrates that our community wants the White Lion back in the heart of our village. We are all acutely aware of the responsibility we have to make this work for everyone. We are all working tirelessly to create a welcoming pub for everyone.

The legal process of securing a tenancy is a bit like buying a house we have exchanged contracts and we now have to complete. There is still a bit of legal toing and froing to get through and then we should be there and the keys are ours.

The selection process for the pub manager and chef is going apace, candidates have prepared a meal for us so we can judge their culinary skills. We hope to complete this process shortly.

Once we have completed the legal process and have the keys we will start on the refurbishment and stocking the kitchen with the right equipment.

Our aim is to be open for Easter, I know there is many a slip between cup and lip, but that’s the target.

As always we will keep you informed of developments, thank you very much for all your support – this will become truly a community pub run by the community.”

The Management committee comprises:

David Leader (Chair)
Elaine Leader
Susanna Newall
Chris Newall
Sandra Burrows
Charles Ouin
Luke Pickering
Andrew Hookings
Margery Hookings
Fraser Hughes
Chris Edgerley
Rick Dyke.

SaveTheWhiteLion.Org

#Broadwindsor,#Drimpton,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Village,#WestDorset,#Dorset,#2022,#DAONB,#DorsetLife,#PalmersBrewery,#TheWhiteLion,#BGPC,#CommunityPub,#Fundraising,#SaveTheWhiteLion,#PlunkettFoundation,##ComradesArms,#NFP,#Funding,#BeKind,#BeSafe,#StaySafe

Tuesday’s Save The White Lion Meeting Also On Zoom

David Leader, Chairman of the newly formed Broadwindsor Community Pub Limited (BCP Ltd.) and of the Steering Group of the Save The White Lion campaign is inviting one and all to their Public Meeting on Tuesday evening.

The meeting will take place at 7pm in the Comrades Hall, Broadwindsor but anyone unable to attend may observe and/or participate as the meeting will also be shared LIVE using the Zoom platform.

Zoom is Free! – Sign Up and get it HERE.

Once downloaded, open Zoom on your device.
Select ‘Join a Meeting‘ (Top, right)
Enter Meeting ID: 875 8965 0598
Enter Password: 545860

They will present their vision of the future, the plan they have drawn together and how you may help.

This is an important meeting to determine the future of our village pub!

Please! Attend in person or online. Thank you 🙂

Please click on the links below to read how the campaign has progressed:
Each link will open in a new tab.

Update #1 – 8th October 2021
Update #2 – 23rd October 2021
Update #3 – 23rd November 2021
Update #4 – 3rd December 2021
Update #5 – 22nd December 2021
Update #6 – 5th January 2022

SaveTheWhiteLion.Org

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Save The White Lion NEWS UPDATE #6

The White Lion Steering Group met by video call on Monday 3rd January to discuss preparations for the public meeting at Comrades Hall, Broadwindsor, on Tuesday 11th January at 7pm.

This is the meeting at which members of the public will be asked to support the fundraising campaign to raise the £30,000 needed for the village to take over the White Lion as a tenant and operate it as a community pub.

The deal negotiated with Palmers Brewery represents the best chance the village has for the pub to be refurbished and reopened in spring 2022. The Steering Group believe that community management is the only way the pub can survive. A village pub at the heart of the community benefits everyone, not just pub goers. It helps to keep the community together, provides a social hub and impacts on property prices.

The Steering Group comprises:

David Leader (Chair)
Elaine Leader
Susanna Newall
Chris Newall
Sandra Burrows
Charles Ouin
Luke Pickering
Andrew Hookings
Margery Hookings
Fraser Hughes
Chris Edgerley
Rick Dyke.

The following is a summary of the meeting on 3rd January, excluding commercially sensitive or personal information:

A flyer will be delivered to Broadwindsor households, with supporting information on the websites: SaveTheWhiteLion.org, Broadwindsor.org and Broadwindsor Group Parish Council at broadwindsorgroup.gov.uk
The steering group will deliver meeting invitations to households by the end of this weekend (8th-9th January). This will be followed up by personal visits to households to those not at the meeting on 11th January.
Supporting information will comprise a summary of the project and its history, the steering group vision and the benefits to the community, securing the White Lion’s future and Business Plan forecast, a membership form, legal structure and explanation of funding sources – which could include Crowdfunding if match funding is available.
It is hoped a video link can be set up and publicised for those who can’t get to the meeting in person or if Covid regulations prevent large numbers attending.
It was agreed that membership of Broadwindsor Community Pub, which gives members a right to the attend the AGM and vote and to ask questions of the management team, will be £5. This is the same as Broadwindsor Community Stores. However, the community needs to raise a minimum of £30,000 through donations to enable the steering group to sign the tenancy with Palmers.
The fundraising campaign will take place over a four-week period from Jan 11th – Feb 8th 2022. The Steering group will sign the tenancy with Palmers Brewery on 17th February only if the necessary target has been reached. Then refurbishment can take place and a manager appointed. Discussions about potential manager are ongoing.
Local businesses are being approached to support the community pub project. The Comrades Arms has already raised £3,000 for the project. A banner will be put up on the hedge at Bernards’ Place to highlight the fundraising campaign, alongside a Yard of Ale ‘thermometer’ so everyone can see how much we still need to raise.
Hard copies of the Business Plan will be available at The Comrades Arms / shop / post office and be available online. A limited number will be available for inspection at the public meeting on 11th January.

SaveTheWhiteLion.Org

#Broadwindsor,#Drimpton,#Burstock,#Blackdown,#Hursey,#Kittwhistle,#Seaborough,#Village,#WestDorset,#Dorset,#2022,#DAONB,#DorsetLife,#PalmersBrewery,#TheWhiteLion,#BGPC,#CommunityPub,#Fundraising,#SaveTheWhiteLion,#PlunkettFoundation,##ComradesArms,#NFP,#Funding,#BeKind,#BeSafe,#StaySafe

Save The White Lion NEWS Update #5

From David Leader, White Lion Steering Group Chairman:

We are very pleased to say that the Broadwindsor Community Pub is now a legal business. The articles of the business make it clear that this is a community pub run for the benefit of the community and is a not-for-profit organisation.

No business can start without funds and we need to raise about £30,000 quickly to carry out essential refurbishment, buy equipment mainly for the kitchen, purchase stock and pay the wages of employees.

Opening the White Lion is going to be a challenge for us all but we believe that we can make it happen. Those wonderful evenings where the community comes together in convivial surroundings with conversation and laughter can happen again.

There will be a public meeting on Tuesday 11 January at 7pm where we can explain our plans, answer questions and listen to suggestions.

We hope to hold this meeting at the Comrades Hall but if this is not allowed because of the Covid situation we will try to hold it on Zoom. We hope that as many people as possible will attend. Please look out for updated information.

The Steering Group would like to thank all those who have shown such an enthusiastic interest in saving the White Lion.

– David Leader, White Lion Steering Group Chairman

SaveTheWhiteLion.Org

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Congratulations Kate!

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