VILLAGERS in Milverton were this week closing in on their aspiration to buy their ‘local’ The Globe Inn. 

The village’s last public house is currently up for sale for £525,000.

Husband and wife Mark and Adele Tarry put the pub on the market last spring after more than 17 years of management.

Mr and Mrs Tarry wanted to ensure that the pub remained a community hub and suggested that the establishment be purchased by the community. 

Now, campaigners have jumped several legal hurdles and are in a position to start accepting donations. 

The Milverton Benefit Society Ltd has been recognised by the Financial Conduct Authority and a bank account established to receive contributions.

Campaigners are feeling positive about the purchase, having received huge amounts of help from volunteers during the Covid pandemic.

A spokesperson said: “Milverton showed what it could do during Covid with well over 100 volunteers delivering groceries, prescriptions, newspapers, and other help.

“It’s time now to flex our ‘can-do muscles’ again involving every part of the village. The project won’t just need money, it’ll need physical help to carry out renovations along with professionals to provide free guidance. 

“It’ll be a huge community effort that could be good fun and help to draw us all together.”

Milverton Community Benefit Society is asking villagers to complete a survey here to gauge how much support there is for the cause before they ‘take the final plunge’.

Anybody who would like to pledge or volunteer to help save The Globe Inn can use this link.

The Milverton campaign took inspiration from the way nearby Halse residents turned The New Inn into a community pub during the Covid pandemic in 2022 when nearly 200 local people bought shares in a community interest company.