Latest news with #communityownership
Irish Times
7 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Times
‘Community spirit on tap': Residents of Co Limerick village join forces to save its last pub
Residents of a Co Limerick village have pooled their money and pulled together to cancel last orders at their local pub. The group, involving 25 men and one woman, bought the former Ahern's pub in Kilteely, which was on the market for €300,000, as they feared it would be closed for good after the previous owners retired. It has been rebranded as The Street Bar by the group, none of whom has pub trade experience. Among them is a barrister, a psychologist, a solicitor, a pharmacist, a carpenter, an accountant, a teacher, farmers, builders, electricians and others. The idea came about as locals in Kilteely had seen the closure of a range of businesses – pubs, shops, post offices and a creamery – in the not too distant past and were keen to avoid another loss in their small community. READ MORE Noel O'Dea, a landscape gardener who invested in the pub, said the only other business in the village, a recycling venture, was set up by locals after the last recession hit 'because employment was hard to get'. It now employs seven people. 'They say it takes a village to raise a child, but I tell you, it also takes a village to save its pub,' he said, adding that the bar 'was our last meeting place'. 'We just couldn't see the people in the village having no place to go to because otherwise it is just a group of houses.' The ownership group is also considering how best to use a shop premises that was included in the pub sale. 'There were a few suggestions but I don't think we would get away with some of them,' Mr O'Dea added. Another member of the group, barrister Liam Carroll, said rural pubs are dying out all over the country. While acknowledging there is little or no profit to be had in such a venture, Mr Carroll said he would still encourage others elsewhere to do likewise for the good of their communities. 'Hopefully we can keep it going, employ a few people and harness the community spirit that we have on tap here.'
BBC News
10-08-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Sheffield campaigners launch bid to buy Moscar Moor for community
A campaign has been launched to take an area of moorland into community ownership - in what could be the first action of its kind in group Reclaim Our Moors has revealed plans to buy Moscar Moor, near moor, which is currently owned by David Manners, Duke of Rutland, is not for sale, but the group hope to claim the land under new Community Right to Buy legislation, expected to come into force next BBC has contacted the Duke of Rutland for comment. Reclaim Our Moors (ROM) has been campaigning for an end to grouse shooting on the moor for seven years, and its announcement was timed to coincide with the start of the shooting group alleges "mismanagement" of the moorland has led to a reduction in wildlife in the areaROM member Maggie, who did not want to share her surname, said one group in Scotland had successfully managed to take ownership of moorland, but it was yet to be achieved in England."Nothing has ever been enacted on anything this scale. There are examples where communities have bought pubs, but this will be a first."We've got ecology graduates, bird watchers, walkers, a whole host of people who are interested in what we're trying to achieve."The Community Right to Buy legislation gives groups the first opportunity to purchase an Asset of Community Value - a property or piece of land that has been nominated as having an important social purpose. Heather burning In 2023, fires lit on the moors around Sheffield caused smoke to blanket parts of the the incident the Mayor of South Yorkshire, Oliver Coppard, invited the Duke of Rutland to a 'Smoke Summit', but the Duke did not councillor and ROM supporter Minesh Parekh has called for a total ban on moorland said: "I look forward to people making use of the upcoming 'Community Right to Buy' legislation to bring mismanaged land into community hands."We need an immediate end to grouse shooting, an immediate end to burning."According to the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, heather burning is commonly practised to manage heather is burned off, making way for new shoots, which provide food for red grouse, deer, mountain hares and livestock. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
BBC News
28-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Campaign backed by film actor Bill Nighy saves Felpham Post Office
A village post office has been saved after a campaign backed by film star Bill Nighy. The business in Felpham, West Sussex, was at risk of closure but has now been taken into community ownership. Drama writer and former actress Lizzie Mickery, who starred in '80s TV show Tenko, runs the Friends of Felpham Community Interest Company, which has campaigned to save the post company was set up to raise money to buy the site when the current sub-postmaster announced plans to leave. More than £70,000 was raised but between £800k and £1m was needed to buy and update the post office anonymous donor has also helped by providing an interest-free loan for an unspecified while the business will stay at its present location for the moment, it will move to a former betting shop in Grassmere Parade on 6 September, when there will be an official opening at 11:00 new site will have a bigger shop, offer banking and postal services, and current staff will stay. Ms Mickery, who wrote BBC One crime drama Messiah, said it was "fantastic" the post office had been saved, as a lot of bank branches had closed and it was a hub for Felpham."If you want to know what is going on in the village you go to the post office," she said. When post offices closed, she believed, villages died."We still have a huge amount of fundraising to do," she Nighy had urged people to help, saying previously: "If it's £5 or if it's £10,000 all of it will be gratefully received." The star of Love Actually, Shaun of the Dead and Pirates of the Caribbean added: "Apart from the service, it provides somewhere where people can meet and gather, it becomes an important part of the community."Ms Mickery admitted she had been "slightly tempted" to write a drama about saving the business. "But everyone would be coming up to me and going, 'That's me isn't it? You've just been writing about me.'"And I didn't think I could face that." The Post Office said what the community had achieved was "fanstastic"."This is a real reason for the village to celebrate," said a spokesperson.
BBC News
02-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Historic Glasgow building could be taken over by community
A historic Glasgow building could be taken over by the Hall, an A-listed building in Shawlands, has been shut since 2017 for a Glasgow City Council meeting heard there had been an expression of interest in the hall via the People Make Glasgow programme – which enables communities to run councillor Ruairi Kelly said there would be hopefully be a positive outcome for the building, which could see it reopen and potentially upgraded. Langside Halls is currently on Glasgow's Buildings At Risk Register as it did not have a plan for who is convener for housing and development, said he expected further information soon. He added he hoped there would be a "positive outcome that not only reopens it to the public but entails community ownership and management and also secures the much needed funding required" for facilities there."He said the plan would "ensure that it is used as a long term asset in the community."It is understood Glasgow Life has been working with Langside Halls Trust and the local authority to bring the Shawlands building back into update on the situation was given after Scottish Greens councillor Holly Bruce asked what is happening to ensure Langside Halls is kept under council or community also said £250m has been spent over the last decade on the wider city's heritage buildings and assets. He said stewardship of the city's buildings has not always met the public's expectations."He added that the council manages 97 operational heritage properties, including the city chambers and Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.
BBC News
04-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
New model proposed for the future of Sark's power
An energy provider says it wants to work with the community on the future of power in Power managing partner Marcus Saul said he wanted to bring the island's energy users together with a public-private May it was announced Sark Electricity would be bought on 3 July by energy provider Island Power for £2.4m and moved into community Saul said an organisation called Sark Energy Limited would be formed in which Chief Pleas would act as a "custodian" of the energy network while his firm would ensure the right technologies were introduced. 'Eyes wide open' Mr Saul said the partnership could see Sark and Guernsey become "the world leaders" in distributor energy networks, the technology and collaborative financial and legal said this model was different to the usual acquisition explained: "Sark has been on the very sharp end of this whereby they've had the private acquisition of the energy company."That in turn has meant the people in Sark haven't been able to be heard with relation to what they require for energy - that ability to transition from heavy fossil fuel-based economy into a very resilient renewable economy, what we often refer to as a natural grid utilising both thermal and electricity."Mr Saul said Island Power would look at upgrading the grid over the next three years."We have our eyes wide open with regard to the grid, there's a lot that needs to be done both on the safety side of things all the way through to actively redesigning and reimagining what energy for Sark will be by 2050," he added.
