Dorset village pub saved by its community reopens

The White Lion is the last of five pubs in the rural west Dorset village

A village pub has finally reopened its doors after a massive fundraising effort by locals.

The White Lion, in Broadwindsor, Dorset, was forced to shut its doors last May after the landlords moved on.

Residents formed a not-for-profit company and raised £50,000 in a month to take on the tenancy and fund the refurbishment work.

The pub, which is the last in the village and now run by the community, opened for business on Friday night.

The hostelry closed after owners Palmers Brewery could not find a new landlord to take over.

It approached the parish council to canvass opinion from the local community to see if there was the will to take it on as a community-run asset.

Within a month the £30,000 target was exceeded by more than £20,000.

Rick Dyke, chairman of the White Lion management committee, said the local company "came up trumps" as it had more than 300 individual donations, largely from residents.

'Community hub'

Local resident Izzy Masey said: "With lockdown, the isolation became a really prominent factor, so we've been keen to find ways of bringing groups of people together."

But it is a bitter-sweet victory, as the man who spearheaded the campaign, David Leader, died last month.

Mr Dyke said: "David had a vision, not just to open the doors and serve drink and food, but to become a hub of the community so people could discuss village matters."

In a previous statement, the Save the White Lion campaign group said: "It's a real testament to the power of a close-knit, caring community."

Ken Bodycombe, from the group, added: "Now we've got to work hard to make sure people keep using it."