Chedburgh villagers gain bursary towards their bid to buy the Marquis Cornwallis

A community's bid to save its village pub took a step closer this week with support from a programme which supports community owned pubs.

Villagers in Chedburgh want to keep their village pub, the Marquis Cornwallis which went up for sale after closing last October.

Chedburgh Marquis Community Hub is to receive a package of business advice and a £2,500 bursary from More Than a Pub.

This two year programme of support is led by the Plunkett Foundation which predominately supports rural areas to enable people to set up life changing community cooperatives.

The village wants to create a community pub alongside a community café and shop.

On June 8 the hub is holding a public meeting from 6.30pm at the Erskine Centre in Chedburgh to update people on the progress of the project. Drinks and pizzas will be on offer and all are welcome to attend.

Richard Plowman, hub chairman, said: "We are delighted to have been awarded support from More Than a Pub. This bursary will help pay for things like the building condition survey, the preparation of a business plan, marketing and fund-raising events. This is one step closer to the group buying the pub and we are very excited for our future plans."