Friends of The Ivy community group has big plans for closed pub

BBC News

20-04-2025

A community group has big plans for a village pub, which was put on the market almost a year ago, if it successfully purchases it, its chair says.The Ivy Inn in Heddington, Wiltshire, closed in May 2024 when owners Wadworth put it up for sale. It is an asset of community value, with residents given until 2029 to raise the money to buy it back.Villagers will be given the chance to buy shares in The Ivy Inn to open it and make it functional again once a price has been negotiated for the pub.Dr Paul Moyle-Harris, chair of Friends of The Ivy, said the idea was to "not just save" The Ivy, but "make it more than just a pub".
"Pubs have got to evolve, you see pubs closing all over the country," Dr Moyle-Harris said.When surveying residents of Heddington, Dr Moyle-Harris said it was clear people were "very, very keen on the idea of live music".He said the plan was to run The Ivy as a cafe during the day and as a pub at night.The Friends of The Ivy also hoped to build a wooden cabin on-site to house a vending machine that stocked essentials such as bread, meat and cheese, so villagers did not have to drive to the closest shops.
"In total, if you look at the amount of work we've got to do, [we need] £350,000-380,000 to do what we need to do to make The Ivy functional," he said.The Friends of The Ivy said the pub, which was said to have been visited by US Commander General George Patton while he stayed in Heddington before D-Day, required full replumbing and rewiring along with "major improvements" to the kitchen and toilets.