Bethersden villagers recognised for saving historic local pub

The George Community has been highly-commended by the Campaign for Real Ale for buying the village pub

Residents in a Kent village have been recognised for their work in saving their local pub.

Community-owned pub The George, in Bethersden, has been highly commended by the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) in its pub-saving award 2023.

The historic building, which dates from the 17th Century, closed during lockdown in 2020.

Villagers raised £300,000 to buy the pub and it fully reopened as a community venture last May.

The George made the final shortlist of nine for the award and received special recognition.

A group of villagers raised the money needed to buy The George

Robin Draper, from the George Community, said: "To receive this highly commended award is testament to the efforts of all those that supported the campaign through purchasing shares, being part of the committee, and the tradesmen that did such a fantastic job in bringing The George back to life in 2023."

Paul Ainsworth, from the Campaign for Real Ale, said The George's achievement was "testament to the hard work and dedication of all involved".He added: "We're very proud to recognise The George Community and hope it will inspire others to take up the fight and save their locals."