A campaign to bring a pub into community ownership has reached a significant milestone.

The group hoping to save the Samson Inn pub in Gilsland, Brampton need to get over £100k in share pledges in order to secure necessary funding to buy the pub.

The price has already been agreed for the pub - £295,000 – and it seems that the group, called Gilsland Community Benefit Society Limited (GCBSL), is well on its way.

Jane McDade, GCBSL chair, said the group has received £30,000 in share pledges, coming from a total of 60 people, within the first three days of their appeal.

Pledges are being sold for £1 and the minimum number of shares to buy is 25, and a further undisclosed amount of money was pledged yesterday (December 12) by Andi Keen, who runs the House of Meg café in the village.

Situated in a prime spot on the Hadrian’s Wall walking route, the inn, which closed in October 2022, was an asset to the community as a local pub as well as a watering hole for visitors from around the world doing the trek.

Mim Lincoln, part of the Gilsland Community Benefit Society Limited (GCBSL), said: “It was a lovely combination of locals that would go in after work, but then you would get chatting to people from all over the world.

“When it closed, some members of staff got together and decided what they could do, and found out if there was an appetite for a community pub.

“We gauged the level of enthusiasm and determined that we do need this pub.”

They have until the end of January 2024 to raise a total of £160,000, and they hope to reach another milestone by Wednesday, December 20, 2023.

The group has been working with The Plunkett Foundation, a British charity which works with rural communities to create and run community-owned businesses.

Jane explained that other local organisations have helped, such as the WI.

If it’s in community ownership, the pub will go back to operating as an inn that serves food as well as a pub.

Jane added that she and everyone else were thrilled by the early milestone will set up a ‘beer-ometer’ in the village hall to track the share pledges this Saturday, December 16.