Latest news with #RachelRadford
BBC News
a day ago
- General
- BBC News
Community-owned pub Lion at Ickleton holds grand reopening
Residents have raised a toast at the grand reopening of the last remaining pub in their village after raising £440,000 to save Ickleton Lion - now known as the Lion - near Cambridge and Saffron Walden in Essex, was put up for sale by Greene King in 2023.A community benefit society was set up to buy the pub, which first opened in 1728, and an effort to refurbish the building got under way in Willmott, 93, who has lived in Ickleton all her life, said she hoped the pub would continue to be "the life and soul of the village". The pub had previously begun serving drinks for limited periods of time, so it could "test the taps".Rachel Radford, chair of the community group, said everybody was "really excited" for the pub to open properly."It's just been an amazing community get-together," she said."It's going to be a gradual opening as we manage to recruit staff, and it will build and build and build, but we are so thrilled."Organisers said about 400 members of the community group and Ickleton residents went along to the official opening day. Ms Willmott, who helped pop the cork to mark the official reopening, said while the village was "quite busy" nowadays, it was still "a lovely place to live".Toasting the opening of the pub, she said: "It's always been the hub of the village - even going back to during the war."I hope it will continue as the life and soul of the village." Roland Perry, a supporter of the campaign to reopen the lion, said: "Pubs like this, as a community asset, are so, so important."Too many of them have been turned into family homes and they really ought to continue as pubs - particularly if it's the last pub in the village." Pippa Heylings, the Liberal Democrat MP for South Cambridgeshire, was also helping to pull pints on the opening said: "Working on community projects like this - I can't imagine anything else that I would much rather be doing when I'm out in the constituency."Volunteers spent hundreds of hours restoring the Lion since getting the keys just before comes after 415 people invested in the pub, including from overseas, to raise more than £440,000 in 10 weeks to buy the building, which had sat empty for more than a year."They just want to own a bit of an English pub – who wouldn't?" added campaign chair Ms pub is expected to open to the public from 12:00 BST on Wednesday. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Community members volunteer skills to restore pub
Carpenters, gardeners, electricians, roofers and DIY experts have volunteered to help restore a 297-year-old pub which was bought by a community. The last remaining pub in Ickleton, a village between Cambridge and Saffron Walden, Essex, was put up for sale by Greene King in 2023. A community benefit society raised £440,000 to buy the venue and received the keys just before Christmas. Ickleton Lionhearted group, the pub's new owners, said the premises license to sell alcohol had been approved and it hoped the venue would be open by the summer. Work is under way to repair and refurbish the pub, which was a popular haunt for US airmen in World War Two. Some of the funds left over from the purchase of the pub, as well as a bank loan, have been put towards to pay for the supplies needed for the restoration. Rachel Radford, the chair of the community group, said: "We know what we are aiming for, we have a vision in our minds of how good it is going to look and slowly over the next few weeks and months we can get there. She added: "Together we have got a reasonable budget sitting there but it is a case of having to balance out what things cost with the amount of money we have. "It is very, very tight but the help of volunteers is going to make a huge difference." The group said it anticipated some delays as plans needed listed building consent, but it "[was] not planning anything terribly controversial". It planned to hold an annual members meeting in the first half of the year, for all 415 shareholders to have a say in the running on the pub. Ms Radford said: "I'm sure people will make great memories. It will be a real sort of hub at the centre of the village again." Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Village gets keys to pub after raising £440,000 Village makes final push to buy its last pub Village raises £440,000 to save last pub from sale Ickleton Lion
BBC News
06-02-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Community members volunteer skills to help restore Ickleton pub
Carpenters, gardeners, electricians, roofers and DIY experts have volunteered to help restore a 297-year-old pub which was bought by a last remaining pub in Ickleton, a village between Cambridge and Saffron Walden, Essex, was put up for sale by Greene King in 2023.A community benefit society raised £440,000 to buy the venue and received the keys just before Christmas. Ickleton Lionhearted group, the pub's new owners, said the premises license to sell alcohol had been approved and it hoped the venue would be open by the summer. Work is under way to repair and refurbish the pub, which was a popular haunt for US airmen in World War Two. Some of the funds left over from the purchase of the pub, as well as a bank loan, have been put towards to pay for the supplies needed for the restoration. Rachel Radford, the chair of the community group, said: "We know what we are aiming for, we have a vision in our minds of how good it is going to look and slowly over the next few weeks and months we can get there. She added: "Together we have got a reasonable budget sitting there but it is a case of having to balance out what things cost with the amount of money we have. "It is very, very tight but the help of volunteers is going to make a huge difference." The group said it anticipated some delays as plans needed listed building consent, but it "[was] not planning anything terribly controversial".It planned to hold an annual members meeting in the first half of the year, for all 415 shareholders to have a say in the running on the pub. Ms Radford said: "I'm sure people will make great memories. It will be a real sort of hub at the centre of the village again." Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
