Villagers in Halse have been celebrating the opening of the New Inn as a community pub – after a hectic five-week £160,000 refurbishment.

The first pints were pulled on special ‘locals only’ evenings before the pub opened formally.

The community has won praise for completing the deal from first proposing the idea to opening in 17 weeks.

During that time £330,000 was pledged and raised from Halse and surrounding villages, which included cash for renovation work inside and outside the 18th Century pub , new plumbing, boilers, windows and electrics, the bar re-stocked, the kitchens upgraded, food brought back on the menu, and the gardens cleared and tidied.

The pub opening – the New Inn is the 98th community pub in the UK – is stage one in a longer term community project. The pub has five letting rooms and refurbished accommodation which will open later this month.

Future plans include opening a cafe, returning postal services, launching ready-made meals and a range of frozen foods, and working alongside the care support system for elderly people in the village.

Mike Davis, vice-chairman of the Halse and District Community Benefit Society, formed to legally run the project, said: “With the country in lockdown and the pub facing closure the only option to save the pub was to own it ourselves. 

“It didn’t take much to get enthusiasm for the project to start and, to be honest, it kept growing.

“As it grew the people who thought it would not happen have joined in. The level of support and volunteer time given readily has been extraordinary.”

Society chairman Stephen Hoole said: “Even at this early stage you can sense the community pulling together in a common cause that despite all the restrictions has been the catalyst for social interaction.

“We have lots of plans for the future building on the strength of the community.”

Ellie Wakeman and Jake Wilde are the new management team at the pub. “I don’t think either of us have been anywhere where there are so many people so involved and enthusiastic about the project as here,” said Jake. “It gives us a lot of confidence.”