What started off as “what if” conversations around our kitchen table has quickly turned into a fantastic group of passionate people working towards a common goal – to buy our village pub and run it for the benefit of the village, the parish and the wider community. The road to reach our goal is a long one, and is in no way guaranteed to succeed, but faced with the alternative of losing our village pub forever, we felt we had to step in and do everything we can.
We feel certain that if The Stag is sold off as housing or to developers now, then Ponsanooth will never have a village pub again. This would be a huge loss to the village. Not only would we lose a publicly accessible space to meet and socialise with friends and neighbours, but the village’s community spirit would be damaged and property values would fall. We have all seen this happen in villages that have lost their local pub, and it would be a tragedy for all of us if Ponsanooth became the next village on that list.
The community ownership movement is growing all over the country, with community purchase an increasingly common way to save important assets. When faced with losing their village shop, the people of Perranwell came together to raise the funds and put in the work to create the community store, which has gone from strength to strength and has ensured that the village has not been left without this important offering.
Admittedly, the work it will take and the finance required is far greater here than in Perranwell, but if we as a community can work together to purchase The Stag we will be in a unique position.
Imagine a community owned pub that operates for purpose, not just for profit; that builds its business around the needs of the community, and that reinvests every penny into the village to improve the lives of those who live here.
This is our vision for The Stag Hunt – a true community pub for Ponsanooth.
Follow us on Facebook to keep up with the journey – search ‘Save The Stag Hunt’