Broadband Cumbria

The Pub That Tweets! Fancy a meal and drink in your own pub?

21/04/2011 in Big Society, Broadband by Charles Paxton

ICT is helping local residents to reopen Crosby Ravensworth’s traditional community hub, The Butchers Arms as a Community owned Pub through a public share offering via Lyvennet Community Pub Ltd.

The pub that tweets, also has its own website and blog from which you can access the rather fine Investors’ Prospectus.

One Man’s View Of An Investment Opportunity That Seems Rather Promising, by Charles Paxton

So many rural pubs are being lost to their communities these days that its getting harder to mourn their passing over a good pint of cask ale! I’m sure that many readers would agree with me in saying that it’s high time to break this vicious cycle and restore the local pub to its traditional role of community hub.

That is exactly what’s happening at the moment in Crosby Ravensworth Parish with a big society initiative for community purchase of The Butchers Arms. The idea is that this establishment (closed due to illness of the previous Landlord - not lack of popularity) could become a thriving, throbbing heart within the community. There’s ample scope for service as a small shop and cafe and it could be an ideal outlet for local produce and a useful food and beverage service arm for Village Hall and Church events.

The outbuilding behind the pub could lend itself admirably to various purposes, a depot for the storage of goods if the pub were to serve as distribution point for online trading.  Part of an Eden-wide rural catalogue shop of local produce, perhaps?  Certainly a welcome stop for Coast to Coast walkers, cyclists and exploratory motorists. The three guest rooms are likely to enjoy high demand too because customers could enjoy the sort of super-fast broadband internet access that will enable Next Generation applications as part of the Eden Valley Big Society Vanguard Broadband Pilot scheme.

At any rate, one day I hope to sit down to a hearty Ploughman’s Lunch there featuring Hewitt beef, Winter Tarn Cheese with VISTAVEG salad, washed down with 100% pure-pressed Beech Tree Farm Apple juice or a pint of good ale (something like Skiddaw or Haystacks)! Or indeed a leviathan coil of tasty brown,  Cumberland sausage and caramelised onions!

Well, it’s not for me to speculate what will be on the menu, but I will have some say along with the other shareholders about what happens there, because each share holder (regardless of the scale of our holding) will have a vote at the shareholders meetings. Its easy to envision a positive feedback cycle of community support for wholesome fare with low food miles. The Crosby Ravensworth Food Alliance are developing a well-deserved reputation for fine food. It’s only fair to warn you that having partaken of the local food,  just passing the premises may induce uncontrollable “Pavlovian” salivary stimulation.

A price of £255,000 has been agreed with the current owners and the group now have until 20th May 2011 to raise the required funding. They already have £160,000 in share pledges and £100,000 shares have been bought. Various small value grant applications are also currently being progressed.

Kitty Smith, the group secretary said;

“With a minimum of £250, prospective share holders are investing in the building; the “bricks and mortar of this rural cumbrian pub. This is a sound investment with the expectation of a dividend payable from year 2 onwards.”

The bottom line:  A warm welcome will meet those who grace its threshold if sufficient numbers of us invest in the shares.

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