Villagers in Piddletrenthide have launched an ambitious campaign to raise thousands of pounds to buy The Piddle Inn and run it as a community hub.

It might sound like an ambitious target, but folk in this historic village remain unfazed by the challenge.

The story started during the pandemic when The Piddle Inn closed for business. A group of villagers banded together and consulted with the community to discuss its future as they didn’t want to lose the pub. And they found that neither did the community.

The Piddle Inn, which sits alongside the River Piddle, was built in the 1800s and since then, visitors and locals alike have made many a happy memory – spending cosy evenings catching up, forming tight-knit quiz teams or dancing the night away to live music.

Supported by the Piddle Valley Parish Council, a community benefit society called Friends of the Piddle Inn has been set up. The pub has been listed with Dorset Council as an asset of community value.

With support from the Plunkett Foundation complete with a dedicated business advisor, the Friends of the Piddle Valley are appealing for funds to help the community keep their village pub alive for now and future generations.

Lynn Mailer, chairman of the Friends of the Piddle Inn, said: “We know that it will not be an easy or quick task. The Piddle Inn should be the cornerstone of our village community.

“Pubs are vital to rural areas – they help with feelings of isolation by giving residents a place to meet others, offer employment opportunities locally, without the need to travel, and encourage tourism. The Piddle Inn should be open as a public house for locals, and visitors alike to use and enjoy.”

The next stage of the process is to obtain a business buyer’s report. The report will provide the group with the condition of the property, its market value, and its potential in terms of community value and level of trade. The report will allow them to develop a plan and set a more accurate target for future fundraising efforts. A crowdfunder has been set up to raise the money for this report.

Lynn added: “We are planning a range of fundraising events to help pay for the various reports and activities needed along the way.

“We are looking at accessing grants too. The main fundraiser to purchase the Piddle Inn will be through a share release scheme. Saving the Piddle Inn could take a number of years and fundraising events to reach our goal.”

Over the coming months, there will be more details about what the group hopes to achieve.

The crowdfunder can be found at crowdfunder.co.uk/save-the-piddle-inn.

There is also a Facebook group keeping everyone up to date with progress facebook.com/groups/2865449430448436

By Karen Bate