Campaigners announce success in buying village pub

The group is aiming to have the pub re-opened by early July

Campaigners fighting to save a village pub say they have successfully completed the purchase.

Residents in Langton Herring, Dorset, posted Gen Z-themed TikTok videos as part of their fundraising efforts to buy the Elm Tree Inn, which closed in November 2023.

The group, Friends of the Elm Tree Inn, has now announced the sale has gone through.

In a statement, they explained they still needed funds to reduce the amount of loans they had to take out to buy the pub in the timescale set.

The group has raised more than £550,000 but said it is still working to reach its £650,000 target.

In their latest announcement, they explained they had interviewed prospective tenant landlords and hoped "to make further announcements about that as soon as we have concluded the agreement with them".

The group explained they aim to fully re-open the Elm Tree by early July.

The statement added: "Only just over six months ago we started the campaign to buy the Elm Tree for the community, and since then we have managed to purchase the pub and its contents with the help of additional loans, which we want to pay off as soon as possible.

"Support has poured in from across the globe, from places we least expected, as well as those close to us in Dorset. We can't thank those people who contributed to this success enough."

The campaign earned worldwide support after its Gen Z-themed TikTok videos went viral.

The videos saw residents adopt youth slang in a bid to get their message across to younger supporters.

The videos have clocked up millions of views and generated support and donations from as far afield as Brazil, Singapore, Australia and South Africa.