Comedian joins village's fight to restore pub

Comedian Jon Richardson with shareholders at The Plough, Fadmoor

The restoration of an 18th Century village pub owned by the community will feature in a television series presented by a well-known comedian.

The Plough in Fadmoor, near Kirkbymoorside, closed in 2011 and was registered as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) in 2013. Locals then formed the Fadmoor Community Pub Limited and purchased the building last year.

Peter Jones, chairman of the group, said it hoped to return it to its former status as "the centre of what was going on in the village".

The Plough will be the subject of a documentary-style Channel 4 series featuring Jon Richardson as he joins village residents on the building's renovation journey.

"When I first heard about The Plough, I had to go and see it and then when I met the amazing people working to rescue it, I couldn't resist getting involved," the comic said.

Mr Jones said that the pub, which dates back to 1782, had been well-known throughout the region when it was open, and was often booked "weeks in advance".

"It was such a draw for all of us, not just the immediate locality but the wider area," he explained.

He previously owned holiday cottages in the area and felt that The Plough's closure had impacted his business.

Customers often cited the absence of a village pub as a reason not to return, he said.

Edward Bentley, shareholder in the community interest group, added that his parents lived locally and he'd always felt something was missing when visiting.

"There's always been that desire that you'd just go to the pub next door, go and help Dad on the farm and you'd go for a pint, you'd go and meet your mates there – but it's always been shut," he said.

The pub dates back to the 18th Century and closed in 2011

The Plough was acquired in October 2024 after sitting empty for more than a decade and a lengthy campaign by Fadmoor Community Pub Limited to purchase the property.

Funds were raised though a combination of shareholder investment and a £297,120 grant from the government's Community Ownership Fund.

Currently the pub is "in the early stages of renovation and refurbishment", according to Mr Bentley.

"It's got four walls and a roof but much else is a building site – there's a lot of work still to do," he said.

"But it's giving us the opportunity to make it what the community want it to be going forward."

Original features, such as the bar and the fireplace will be restored and retained, Mr Jones explained.

"It's so characterful and it's that that we're trying to put back into the building, to capture the character of the place," he added.

"We all as a group have to simply muck in and do whatever's necessary to get the job done."

Earlier this year, comedian Richardson became a shareholder in Fadmoor Community Pub Limited and joined in the effort to reopen The Plough.

His involvement and the community's work will be detailed in the upcoming series, set to air later this year.

He described pubs as "the beating heart of their communities".

"I love pubs so much that I turned my garage into one, but it didn't scratch the itch so now I've ended up owning one," he said.

The rest of the group can attest to his work ethic according to Mr Bentley, who said the comedian, who lives in Yorkshire, regularly comes over to help out.

"We were there at the weekend and he was there, hammer, spade, shovel getting stuck in as much as everybody else," he said.

"He's an investor like us, and he's thrown himself into it wholeheartedly."

The group's ambition is to open the pub next spring.

Shareholder Debbie Sheehan said that the pub should be a place for locals and visitors alike to enjoy.

"It's not all about knocking the building around or doing DIY – there are so many different ways we're asking people to get involved," she said.

"This is the opportunity for the community to make it The Plough for the future."

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