LSCBS News

Volunteer party

Wed, 26 Feb 2025 09:05:05 GMT

The management team hosted a party to thank our army of amazing volunteers

The Limpley Spokes serenaded the volunteers with some fantastic cover hits including our very own signature song "At the Hop Pole". Charlie and Hannah joined the band as our volunteers, fortified with pints of Hoppie and Jenny's delicious canapes, boogied the night away.

We're open and can't wait to see you!!

Mon, 27 Jan 2025 16:18:19 GMT

To browse the menu, book a table or community room please click on www.hoppoleinn.uk

To see ITV's coverage of our opening please click on ITV Hop Pole News

Grand Opening!

Wed, 22 Jan 2025 10:12:29 GMT

The Hop Pole Inn reopens this Saturday 25th January at 4pm!

GRAND OPENING this Saturday 25th January from 4pm!

Make sure you visit the new Hop Pole website at hoppoleinn.uk to subscribe to the newsletter for all the latest news, to browse their tempting menus and beers, and to make reservations.

The whole team at Hop Pole HQ could not be more thrilled and grateful that we made it. Thank you again to the whole community for coming together to make this happen. We should all feel incredibly proud.

See you at the bar on Saturday. Cheers!

Volunteers wanted for Late Summer Shindig, 22nd September

Mon, 09 Sep 2024 12:34:31 GMT

Late Summer Shindig, Sunday 22nd September : volunteers wanted!

We loved having you all round in August so much that we're throwing open our doors again on the afternoon of Sunday 22nd September, 3pm - 6pm, for our Late Summer Shindig. There will be BBQ, drinks and music from The Convulsions - a band that specifically supports community pubs like The Hop Pole - so it should be a fantastic afternoon.

We have taken on board a lot of feedback from our August event and have made some logical tweaks to the set up for this September event. If you are able to come and help us, we are looking for volunteers to cover hourly shifts across the following stations:

Bar – drink servers
Barbecue – chefs and servers
Front of house – meet and greeter
Payment – processing both cash and card payments

Time slots will be:

3pm - 4pm
4pm - 5pm
5pm - 6pm

Simply let Gemma Painter know what role and time(s) you plus any family and friends would like to do, please, by emailing her on marblemoth@hotmail.com and we'll confirm back to you as soon as we can. As before, there will be a drink of your choice at the bar to thank you for your kindness and generosity.

We hope to hear from you and with your help we'll make it another memorable and fun event!

Hop Pole news August '24

Thu, 05 Sep 2024 10:19:57 GMT

Key September dates : Notice of Annual General Meeting, 18th Sept

The Annual General Meeting of  Limpley Stoke Community Benefit Society Limited

 will be held at 7pm on Wednesday, 18th September 2024

at  Freshford Village Memorial Hall, Freshford Lane, Freshford, BA2 7UR

Agenda :

⁠Apologies
 Approval of minutes from previous AGM
 Presentation of accounts 
Building work update
Funding update
Tenancy update 
Reopening date
Board election 
AOB

  All are welcome but only shareholders are eligible to vote.   To assist with catering, if you expect to come to the meeting, please RSVP to replycbs@gmail.com which is also the address for sending your apologies if you are a shareholder and cannot attend. Documents presented and minutes will later be made available on our website.

  30th August 2024

Limpley Stoke Creative Film Club : date change to accommodate AGM

A big thank you to the Limpley Stoke Creative Film Club who kindly moved the date of their first film screening of the season to resolve a clash of dates with our AGM. We really appreciate it. The first film of their new season is 'Tokyo Story' - one of the great films of cinema history from Japanese film director Yasujirō Ozu. It will be shown at the Limpley Stoke village Hall on Tuesday 17th September, with the doors opening at 7pm for 7:30pm start. To find out more please visit limpleystoke.com/activities-clubs . We hope that you can make the new date and thank you again for your understanding.

Hop Pole Summer Extravaganza : Oh what a night!

Well THAT was fun! A fantastic night of high community spirit and generous fundraising was had by all at our August Summer Party. Hundreds of you turned up to admire all of the hard work to date on our beloved pub, toast its progress with a drink or two, put your hands in your pockets to raise more vital funds to complete the project and enjoy the first of many more happy nights in the pub garden.

We have so many thank yous to give out:

thank you to all of the organisers and volunteers of the event, auction, raffle and catering for all their hard work.
thank you to everyone who bid on our auction items or bought raffle tickets. Your continued generosity is awe-inspiring and extraordinary.
thank you to everyone who very generously donated auction and raffle prizes. We have lots of very happy winners thanks to your support!
thank you to the legendary Limpley Strokes for getting the party rocking.
thank you to the weather for holding out until precisely 9:20pm just as the last party people left. Phew!

And we are delighted to reveal that the auction evening raised in excess of £34,000 including matched funding which exceeded all of our expectations. This will make a huge difference and leaves us with just £25,000 to go!

Who's up for another one? Book out Sunday 22nd September

We have another date for your diary! We loved having you all round so much that we're throwing open our doors again on the afternoon of Sunday 22nd September, 3pm - 6pm , for our Late Summer Shindig with food, drinks and music from The Convulsions - a band that specifically supports community pubs like The Hop Pole.

More details will follow soon so please keep your eyes on Instagram and Facebook, newsletters and also the village 'Candy Boards' for additional info and timings. It's sure to be another corker!

ITV West Country news story about Daahir Mohamed using traditional plastering skills and training a team of refugees

Sat, 10 Aug 2024 13:30:49 GMT

Sharing vital skills to keep the pub project moving forward

The incredible and heartwarming story of skilled lime plasterer, Daahir Mohamed, using his valuable skills at the Hop Pole and training a team of refugees has been broadcast by ITV West Country. You can watch the clip by clicking here . Thank you to everyone involved for your brilliant work and for spreading the word.

Save the Hop Pole Summer Party & Auction

Mon, 29 Jul 2024 09:17:33 GMT

Hop Pole Summer Extravaganza, 23rd August

Let's start warming up the pub with our summer party!

The team at the Top Pole have been doing a magnificent job of hosting a monthly toe-tapping, glass-chinking social while the Hop Pole renovations continue. Our huge thanks to everyone who has made that happen and for the donations they have made towards our campaign.

  Drum roll please.... 

We are nearing the moment to bring the party back to the Hop Pole! To break us in gently we have planned a couple of events to get you all back inside the pub, spend quality time with your friends and neighbours, and raise a few more vital funds towards the final stages of the work. It will also be the perfect opportunity to see how far the building work has progressed and understand how it's going to look at reopening.

  The first event will be at the Hop Pole on Friday 23rd August, 6:00 - 9:30pm , with a BBQ and pay bar. Excitingly we will be calling for any final bids on a selection of auction items from 7:15pm followed by the raffle. Guests will be able to buy more raffle tickets on the night. Please bring cash as well as cards (with small change being much appreciated) and please note that seating will be limited so the evening will be mostly standing.  

Volunteers needed for the event 

We'll need volunteers for the event to help us with food prep ahead of the event and then with serving attendees on the night, so if you are up for a fun night and are happy to help out, please sign up here selecting as many slots as you are able to offer! Volunteers will receive an email nearer the date as a reminder. If your plans change and you can no longer help, please contact us by clicking the contact button on the sheet. THANK YOU!  

Put the date in your diary : Friday 23rd August

 We really hope to see lots of you there and may this be the first of many memorable nights in our beloved Hop Pole!

Summer fundraising auction - get your bids in!

To help reach our funding target, we are holding a glittering summer auction and raffle. Items offer include holidays in luxury villas in Marbella, Fowey and the Black Forest, private chefs, garden consultations, signed rugby shirts, theatre tickets and much more. You can see all of our amazing auction items, and place your bids here . Place your bid by clicking the 'Make a bid' button which emails us. Nine of the items will then go into a LIVE auction which will take place at our Summer Extravaganza on the 23rd August!  

As if that isn't enough, we will also be drawing the raffle at the party. Tickets can be bought at The Galleries in Freshford, from our volunteers who will be selling door to door throughout the community and at the party. You can also email limpleystokecbs@gmail.com for other ways to buy raffle tickets. All prizes are listed on our website here , so please take a look to whet your appetite and buy your tickets soon. Thank you!

Another date for your diary: Sunday 22nd September

While you have your diaries to hand, please also mark out the afternoon of Sunday 22nd September for our second Hop Pole warm-up party! More details on this event will follow, but there will be food, drink and a live band, so we look forward to seeing you all then.

Hop Pole News: July 2024

Mon, 15 Jul 2024 08:08:55 GMT

Save The Hop Pole July '24: all the latest news and progress updates

The final £50,000...

The Hop Pole Inn project is on time and under budget but we still need more money to help us reopen our community pub in October 2024. We are £100k short but we do have almost £50k in matched funding in place so for every £100 you give, we will raise £200 towards our target. Please help us by:

Buying more shares by clicking here
Bidding for items in our fantastic auction by clicking here
Buying a raffle ticket for the chance to win one of our great prizes shown here

As a recap, over the last three years our small team have:

Negotiated a fair price to buy the pub from some notoriously tough sellers
Successfully applied for three sets of planning and listed building consents
Brought the community together with 700+ people contributing financially and 150 volunteering their time and expertise
Scrounged generous donations and discounts on materials
Tightly project managed the refurbishment so that the total cost (including purchase) will be less than the £1,300k forecast in July 2022
Raised £330,000 from grant-giving bodies
Raised almost £750,000 in two share issues
Obtained £50,000 of interest-free loans
Scrounged exciting items for our silent and live auction
Started advertising for tenants and we already have some very promising candidates

We are very close to reopening the Hop Pole Inn in October 2024 but we can’t get there without your help. Please dig deep and remember – every little helps. Thank you!

Building progress update: it's coming along beautifully!

Work on the pub continues at an impressive pace and we now have the shells for the new kitchen, bar and toilet block in place. Big thanks to our volunteer gardeners too, led by the brilliant Rod, who have started seeding the lawn and getting it ready for our summer events. Don't forget you have the chance to see all of this progress in person on one of our 'Sneak a Peek Tours' so please read below for more details on how to book yourself onto one of those.

Sneak a Peek Tours : places booking up fast

We're pleased to let you know that we've released more dates for the very popular ‘Sneak a Peek Tours’ of the Hop Pole. The insightful tours give you the perfect opportunity to see the current transformation of the pub, as it is happening, and ask any questions. The dates always fill up quickly so if you'd like to take a tour please click here to book your place/s . We look forward to welcoming you to the 'almost finished' pub!

Summer fundraising auction - let's start the bidding!

To help reach our funding target, we are holding a glittering summer auction and raffle. Our volunteer auction team have been hard at work scrounging some fantastic auction items and raffle prizes including holidays in luxury villas in Marbella, Fowey (see stunning photo below) and the Black Forest, private chefs, theatre tickets and much more. You can see all of our amazing auction items and place your bids here . You can place a silent bid on an auction item by clicking the 'Make a bid' button which emails us. Eight of the items will then go into a LIVE auction to be held at the Hop Pole on the 23rd August. Please feel free to share the auction web page with friends and family - there is something for everyone!

We are also holding a raffle with a selection of fantastic prizes to be won. Tickets can be bought at The Galleries in Freshford, at the Top Pole pop-up pub and from our volunteers who will be selling door to door throughout the community. All prizes are listed on our website here, so please take a look to whet your appetite and buy your tickets soon. Thank you!

Our search for a tenant is underway!

As we mentioned in our May newsletter, we have started our search for an entrepreneurial tenant who is looking for the dream job of running a much-loved pub in a beautiful Wiltshire village. The vacancy is attracting good interest from potential tenants, but our deadline isn't until Friday 19th July so there is still time to express and interest and be shown around. It is a unique and exciting opportunity for the right person/people, so please contact us if you're interested or help us to spread the word. The details are:

Opportunity to build your own successful food & drink business in a fully renovated 15th Century Inn
Building fully renovated and extended to modern standards with new electrical and plumbing systems, new commercial kitchen and toilet block
Covers: 40/60 Internal/external
Free of tie
Newly renovated two-bedroom flat
Located in highly sought after village of Limpley Stoke, five miles from Bath
Community owned with hundreds of friendly supporters
Proximity to canal and many popular walking and cycling routes
Available from October 2024
Rent: Highly competitive TBD

If you’re interested in having a look around or just want to ask some questions, please email applylscbs@gmail.com . Thank you.

Do you have any free storage space that we could use?

To safely house all of the kit, furnishings, kitchen and garden equipment until closer to the reopening date,we are seeking free storage space of about 160sqft. If anyone can help us with this request we would be hugely grateful - anything to keep our costs to an absolute minimum. If you can help please contact us on limpleystokecbs@gmail.com . Thank you.

Watch out for us on ITV local news next week

Our thanks go to local ITV newsreader and journalist Victoria Davies who interviewed the team again this week to find out more about our progress and understand some of the detailed processes carried out by our building team. Keep your eyes on our Instagram feed for updates on when it airs!

Raise a glass at the Top Pole Pop-up pub!

This month's 'Top Pole' pop-up pub night will take place on Friday 19th July at the Limpley Stoke Village Hall, with food, drinks and live music. On the menu is Korean Chicken (£8), with veggie alternative, followed by French apple tart (£3), with all proceeds going to the Hop Pole campaign! As always, please email orlamorrish@gmail.com with your order or with any queries. Thank you for your support and enjoy the evening.

Book your place on our Sneak a Peek Tours

Tue, 25 Jun 2024 14:35:51 GMT

Sneak a Peek Tours: places booking up fast!

Following the huge popularity of our hard hat tours last year, we’re delighted to offer a handful of ‘Sneak a Peek Tours’ to see the current transformation of the pub, as it is happening. This is your chance to see how hard the team have been working to repair and renovate the pub. It’s YOUR pub so come and have a nose around. We have weekend dates throughout the summer, so book your place (or places if there is a group of you) by clicking here.

We're hiring!

Wed, 19 Jun 2024 13:07:08 GMT

Unique tenancy opportunity

Opportunity to build your own successful food and drink business, in a fully renovated 15th

Century Inn in a beautiful village near Bath.

Building fully renovated and extended to modern energy efficiency standards with new electrical and plumbing systems and a fully fitted-out commercial kitchen and toilet block
Covers: 40/60 Internal/external
Free of tie
Newly renovated two-bedroom flat
Located in highly sought after village of Limpley Stoke, five miles from Bath
Community-owned with hundreds of friendly supporters
Proximity to canal and many popular walking and cycling routes
Available from October 2024
Rent: Highly competitive TBD
Deadline for expressions of interest: 19th July 2024

Please explore this website for more information about the Hop Pole project. If you have any questions and/or are interested in having a look around, please email applylscbs@gmail.com . We'd love to hear from you!

Hop Pole News: May 2024

Thu, 30 May 2024 15:15:40 GMT

All the latest news: progress, funding & events

Building progress update: we're getting there!

Work on the pub continues at an impressive rate. Recent progress includes pouring the concrete slab for the extensions with work beginning on building the extensions now. This will start with the loo block first which will hopefully mean we can have some kind of summer pop-up in the pub garden, which is currently being prepared so that our faithful gardeners can seed the new lawn.

As always there are plenty of opportunities for all of you to get involved by volunteering your time on any of the many tasks on our list, such as ongoing prep to the first floor flat. Please drop us a line to volunteers@savethehoppole.org if you'd like to be added to our volunteer list. Thank you!

Suppliers generously step up to the plate

We're delighted to have received sponsorship of £1,500 from Croft Building and Conservation who purchased some materials for the project. Ollie Chance MD said he was "proud to support such an important and inspiring community project that puts an historic building back at the heart of the community” . In addition, Matt Fairweather of Omnie Underfloor Heating and Core Conservation have provided materials and their time at a substantially discounted price, so our heartfelt thanks to them.

We are still looking for materials and contractors to help us get the project completed for less, so if you can help in any way please let us know and do share news of our progress with anyone who wants to get involved.

Volunteers: a call to action!

So far the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB), Bristol Heritage Skills, FCBStudios and many other supporters have given us 43 volunteer labour days on the interior of the building, and repairing and preparation for replastering. We expect that it will take the same again to complete the interior plastering so please let us know if you can help and we’ll add you to our list.

Fundraising update: please keep your investments coming in!

We still need the final chunk of funding if we are to finish the building works, garden and interior. Rest assured that every penny donated is spent wisely and efficiently, and will go a long way towards reopening our pub in October of this year as a sustainable business and a thriving hub. With this in mind we have extended the share offer to the end of this year, to make it as easy as possible for you to support us. Thank you for ALL the investment to date and if you would like to buy shares please click here .

Big thanks to FLiSCA!

We’re thrilled to report that we have received a very generous grant of £2,500 from FLiSCA. This will be spent on the refurbishment of the ground floor community room which will be made available for local groups and societies when not in use by the pub. Many thanks to FLiSCA.

Sneak a Peek Tours: places booking up fast!

Our latest round of ‘Sneak a Peek Tours’ are booking up fast so grab your place now to see the current transformation of the pub, as it is happening. A few of the tours have already take place with visitors loving the insightful opportunity to understand more about this important project. This is your chance to see how hard the team have been working to repair and renovate the pub. To book your place (or places if there is a group of you) please click here .

Summer fundraising auction - let's start the bidding!

Our volunteer auction team are doing a brilliant job of gathering together a list of sparkling auction items for you to bid for, all in aid of the campaign of course. Look out for notifications from us about tickets for events that might be happening imminently. One such event is the unmissable ‘Nocturne Live’ at Blenheim Palace on Thursday 13th June. Details are as follows so please send us your bids to be in with a chance of securing the four tickets:

Four prime spot seats for this live music experience under the stars featuring Chaka Khan, Sister Sledge and The Fatback Band
Thursday 13th June, evening
At Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, OX20 1PP
More info at nocturnelive.com
Bidding starts at £200 for the four tickets

Please call Heather Coombe on 07968953384 with your bids. Winning bidder will be notified by Friday 7th June

A huge thank you to the very kind donors and thank you in advance for your generous bids. Let's start the bidding. THANK YOU!

Spotlight on a supporter: Robin and Karen Noad

This project is all about the wider community coming together to make this happen for us now and for years to come. The many personal interactions we have had with supporters have been heartwarming, with people sharing their stories of the pub over the years. So this month, we want to shine a spotlight on a couple of our shareholders: Robin and Karen Noad. This is their story…

Robin was born in Bath. He was first introduced to The Hop Pole by his sister and brother-in-law in the late 1970's, when they enjoyed drinks and delicious meals there with his widowed mum and younger brother. They particularly loved the cosy and peaceful ambiance of the pub.

Karen was born in Oklahoma USA. She came to the UK in 1987 and moved to Bath in 1988. Robin and Karen met at St Philip's Church in Bath - sharing immigration horror stories and singing in a musical together. Eventually, Robin asked Karen for a drink around Christmas 1990. He was about to be in the Church Pantomime so would be very busy in early January, so he rang her up in late Dec 1990 to get a date for that drink. Karen had a flat in Monkton Combe at the time, so Robin drove her the short distance to his favourite pub - the Hop Pole! They chatted for hours and found so many common experiences, even though they had grown up on opposite sides of the Atlantic. There followed many more visits to the Hop Pole getting better acquainted. Subsequently they were engaged in the Pump Room in Bath the following year and married on 28 March 1992 at St Philip's Church, Bath!

In 1998 they moved to Northumberland with Robin's job and from there to Oklahoma in Feb 2000. They rented out their house in Bath during that whole period, and so they were able to retire back our to that house in Bath in Dec 2019. They're so looking forward to seeing The Hop Pole flourish again and are so glad to be a small part of making that a reality.

Thank you for years of support, Robin and Karen. We can't wait to welcome you back again!

Raise a glass at the Top Pole Pop-up pub!

We’re pleased to say that the 'Top Pole' pop-up pub will take place on Friday 21st June at the Limpley Stoke Village Hall. On the menu is Hungarian Chicken Goulash, with veggie alternative, followed by a strawberry dessert, with all proceeds going to the Hop Pole campaign! As always, please email orlamorrish@gmail.com with your order or with any queries. Thank you for your support and enjoy the event.

Not to be missed opportunity : bid now for last minute rugby & concert tickets!

Tue, 14 May 2024 16:49:11 GMT

Hop Pole News: Your chance to bid for two fantastic prizes!

Let's open the bidding for these brilliant events!

As part of our ongoing fundraising to save our beloved Hop Pole, we have a trusty team of volunteers hard at work gathering items for our summer auction. Two of those items are tickets for events happening very soon so we want to give you the chance to bid on them NOW. The items are:  

Lot 1 : Two tickets for Bath vs Northampton Rugby THIS WEEKEND

Final game of the season
Saturday 18th May, 3pm
At Bath Rugby, The Recreation Ground, Bath BA2 4DS
Two south stand tickets, under cover
Please call Heather Coombe on 07968953384 with your bids. Winning bidder will be notified on Thursday 16th May

Lot 2 : Four prime spot seats for Nocturne Live concert

A live music experience under the stars featuring Chaka Khan, Sister Sledge and The Fatback Band
Thursday 13th June, evening
At Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, OX20 1PP
More info at nocturnelive.com
Bidding starts at £200 for the four tickets
Please call Heather Coombe on 07968953384 with your bids. Winning bidder will be notified on Friday 31st May

All proceeds will be going to the campaign to save the Hop Pole so please dig deep! A huge thank you to the very kind donors and thank you in advance for your generous bids. Let's start the bidding - THANK YOU!

Hop Pole News: April 2024

Wed, 08 May 2024 14:50:47 GMT

Hop Pole News: With your help our goal is in sight

The finish line is so close now : so how do we cross it?

After more than two years of forward planning, hard graft, essential fundraising and steadfast determination, we are finally getting to the business end of this inspiring project and the end goal is almost in sight. To call it a team effort would be underplaying the huge numbers of skilled workers, volunteers, suppliers and supporters who have got us to this point. We are all in this together and we're winning! Thank you to each and everyone of you. In a nutshell, this is our current position:

We have raised the minimum amount of money needed to secure the building and get the lights on however we still need to raise funds to ensure the building is capable of serving as a viable platform for a thriving business. Please keep your investments coming in here - every penny is carefully allocated and much appreciated.
Our final reopening plan is vitally dependent on volunteers. Volunteers to help us at every step of the way from rebuilding the pub to nurturing the garden to repainting the sign. If you are not yet on our volunteers list and would like to offer your time please contact us at  volunteers@savethehoppole.org
We are also ramping up our requests for donated items. We have a list of 'Materials needed' on our website, so if you can donate any of those items or know any supplier who would be willing to give us those items, please let us know at volunteers@savethehoppole.org .

Thank you for any help you can offer!

Fantastic response to our latest ITV news story

We made the news again! On Sunday 3rd March the local ITV crew came to the Hop Pole to chat to the team about our drive for donations and volunteers. The feature aired that evening generating an instant, positive response with immediate pledges of goods and building materials. Huge thanks to Limpley Stoke's own Victoria Davies at ITV West Country for the ongoing interest and support for our campaign. You can see Simon & James talking through the project here . We think this new-found fame is suiting them!

Building progress is steaming along

Building progress continues at a pace with regular teams of experts and volunteers on site laying pipes, putting down boards, installing the electrics and so on. In a few weeks we'll continue with the garden planning, starting with the lawn being sown in April, which is encouraging news.

To help you visualise the final pub as well as we can, we're excited to be able to share with you the final floor plan showing the newly positioned bar, the extensive seating areas, improved toilet block and plans for the outdoor terrace. You can see the floor plan by clicking here and scrolling through the browser version of our newsletter . Your ongoing help, funding and donations will make this plan a reality so please continue to dig deep as we head towards the finishing line!

New video telling the story of our wonderful community

We are incredibly fortunate to have so many willing and talented people in our community who have been able to bring their unique skills to the project. The latest of these is local filmmaker Alan Wright who has very generously taken his time to put together this wonderful film telling the story of our community and the background behind the Hop Pole campaign.

In Alan's words:

'It is exactly two years since I became Director of Trowbridge Town Hall Trust with the daunting task of supervising a £10million capital project to restore the building's architectural legacy while, at the same time, transforming it into an environmentally friendly incubator for creative talent that will provide an exemplar throughout the south-west. When I moved to Freshford/Limpley Stoke last year, I was naturally fascinated by The Hop Pole project, especially as the ethos behind its revival was to provide a hub for the community and add to the villages' determination to bring about social cohesion. As a former television producer, I couldn't resist making a small contribution towards The Hope Pole appeal by creating a video which, I sincerely hope, will help convey the community message and wider story of this vital lifeline in the village.'

You can see the video by clicking here . Please feel free to share it.

Auction of Promises : auction items wanted!

To help raise some extra funds we're planning to organise an Auction of Promises in the summer. Details of how this auction will run will be revealed nearer the time, but right now we are looking for donations, please! Anything is most welcome so please let us know if you have any items that we can add to the catalogue. Perfect examples might be:

Holiday accommodation
Tickets to an event/event
⁠A fun or unique experience
⁠Professional or business support
Gardening or home interior design consultancy

If you have anything you’d be prepared to donate or if you would like to join the very-newly-formed (and great fun) Auction of Promises team (which currently comprises Sally Gupta, Jane Trounce and Heather Coombe so far) please contact Heather Coombe at helloheth@hotmail.com . Thank you!

Raise a glass at the Top Pole pop-up pub

This month's Top Pole pop-up pub takes place on Friday 19th April, 6:30pm - 10pm at the Limpley Stoke Village Hall. As always, it promises to be a great night with food and drinks (cash and card) and live music. This month's menu is steak, kidney and mushroom pie or a veggie option (both £8) followed by chocolate cinnamon gateau (£3), so please email your choice to orlamorrish@gmail.com by 17th April if you'd like food. All profits are generously donated to the Hop Pole campaign and the events are always a lively, fun evening so we hope to see you there!

Hop Pole News: March 2024

Fri, 29 Mar 2024 10:21:27 GMT

Hop Pole News: With your help our goal is in sight

The finish line is so close now : so how do we cross it?

We have raised the minimum amount of money needed to secure the building and get the lights on however we still need to raise funds to ensure the building is capable of serving as a viable platform for a thriving business. Please keep your investments coming in here - every penny is carefully allocated and much appreciated.
Our final reopening plan is vitally dependent on volunteers. Volunteers to help us at every step of the way from rebuilding the pub to nurturing the garden to repainting the sign. If you are not yet on our volunteers list and would like to offer your time please contact us at  volunteers@savethehoppole.org
We are also ramping up our requests for donated items. We have a list of 'Materials needed' on our website, so if you can donate any of those items or know any supplier who would be willing to give us those items, please let us know at volunteers@savethehoppole.org .

Thank you for any help you can offer!

Fantastic response to our latest ITV news story

Building progress is steaming along

New video telling the story of our wonderful community

In Alan's words:

You can see the video by clicking here . Please feel free to share it.

Auction of Promises : auction items wanted!

Holiday accommodation
Tickets to an event/event
⁠A fun or unique experience
⁠Professional or business support
Gardening or home interior design consultancy

Raise a glass at the Top Pole pop-up pub

Telling the story of our community

Tue, 05 Mar 2024 11:15:29 GMT

New stunning video telling the story of our brilliant community

In Alan's words:

You can see the video by clicking here and please feel free to share it.

Our campaign makes the news again!

Mon, 04 Mar 2024 10:55:22 GMT

We made the local ITV news again

A huge thanks to Victoria Davies at ITV West Country news for covering our ongoing story this weekend. The feature focused on our call for vital donations of building materials and services that we desperately need to complete the project. We're thrilled to say that we've already had a great response to the feature, with viewers getting in touch to donate goods, which is enormously encouraging. If you can help us by donating, spreading the word or volunteering please get in touch at volunteers@savethehoppole.org .

You can see Simon and James from the Save the Hop Pole team talking about the ongoing campaign on the ITV West Country news website by clicking here .

Hop Pole News: February 2024

Tue, 20 Feb 2024 15:58:49 GMT

Funding success : volunteers now needed!

Latest share issue success : pub's future looks more rosy!

We’re delighted to announce our second share issue rolled over the finishing line just ahead of the deadline. By the end of January, we had raised over £150,000 and, as a result, the Management Committee have declared the share issue live. Everyone who subscribed will receive their share certificate in the coming weeks so please keep your eye out for yours. A huge thank you again to everyone that invested in this important share issue. A special thank you to all those people in the USA, Australia, elsewhere overseas and across the UK, who may not be able to visit the Hop Pole, but who still got behind the campaign. This includes a matched funding pledge of £3k from a generous US investor. We're so grateful - you are making this happen!

We are now as confident as we can be that the Hop Pole will reopen in 2024. Please go ahead and raise a glass to the future of the pub and look forward to some pop-up events in the pub over the spring and summer ahead of our autumn (fingers crossed) reopening.

Now back to business!

While this is all great news, we must stress that there is still a lot of hard work to do and our finances remain incredibly tight. It isn’t too late to invest and our share offer will remain open until 30th June with all funds being carefully allocated to the project, so please keep your generous funds coming in! In addition, we are looking for help in the following areas and would really appreciate some of you stepping up to offer your time, please:

1. Scrounging Team : volunteers needed
Building material and labour costs have increased by up to 25% since this project was initiated, so the more materials we can get for nothing, or at a good discount, the better. With this in mind, we are setting up a Scrounging Team to phone various suppliers of building materials (electrical, plumbing, bathroom, kitchen etc) to ask them to donate items to complete the project. We will supply a list of items that we need and give guidance on what to say. It will be up to the Scrounging Team members to research who to contact, then phone them and work some magic! Any items donated would make a huge difference so if you’d like to join our resourceful Scrounging Team please email us at volunteers@savethehoppole.org .

2. Fundraising auction : auction lots needed
We plan to hold an auction to raise some vital extra funds for the Hop Pole project. If you have any contacts for people or companies who might be able to donate items please let us know. We are open to suggestions - for example, contacts at Bath Rugby for a signed match ball or shirt, or Dyson for luxury goods would be very welcome! Does anyone have a holiday cottage they would be willing to donate for a weekend away, perhaps? Any other goods and services that may be sellable, and hopefully start a flurry of bidding activity, would be fantastic. If you have any items or contacts, please email volunteers@savethehoppole.org .

3. Spreading the word : leaflet drop volunteers needed
We have received tremendous help from our supporters and champions in neighbouring villages, which is so important to the project. We’d now like to reach out to other communities who may not be aware of the project and might be happy to get involved. We are looking for people who would be willing to deliver leaflets to houses in places such as Bathampton, Coombe Down, Westwood and any other communities you could suggest. If you’d be happy to get involved in leaflet dropping in these areas, please email us at volunteers@savethehoppole.org .

4. Volunteers for labour : all hands on deck
To keep our labour costs to a minimum, we will be undertaking as much work as we can using volunteers. For example, this week a team have been laying underfloor heating in the downstairs rooms of the pub. Some of you have already volunteered to help out with the floor laying, which probably won’t start until the end of March or early April so will we be rounding you up nearer the time. In the meantime, the next volunteer challenge will be to renovate the first floor tenant accommodation, which we expect to start on 15th/16th February with the remaining work on the flat being completed in March. This will be dusty and hard work, but we will supply all necessary PPE and crucially plenty of strong coffee and biscuits! A tough but rewarding task for all. If you’d like to volunteer your labour and skills, and you’re not already on our lists, please email us at tim.tuckey@me.com .

Thank you to all of our incredible volunteers and supporters!

Hop Pole News: January 2024 part 2

Tue, 23 Jan 2024 09:39:12 GMT

Nearly there...and a one-off matched funding opportunity!

An enormous thank you to the 160+ of you who have, to date, supported our second share issue and with only two weeks to go we have very nearly reached the minimum £150,000 required to save the future of the pub. We are delighted to report that one of our US investors has agreed to buy up to £3,000 of shares on a matched funding basis. That means the next £3,000 of share applications we receive will be doubled and we will receive enough investment to carry us over the line. To take advantage of this generous offer all you have to do is to click here to apply for shares . 

Next challenges

 Although we are close to achieving our minimum, we are still a long way away from our £300,000 share offer target. We are planning to help fill this gap over the coming months by:

Saving labour costs - by using our volunteers to carry out work
Saving material costs - by using a 'Scrounging team' to source free/cheap materials (see below)
Continuing to raise funds – by selling shares and starting other fund raising initiatives. Please note we now accept PayPal payments which you can make by clicking here

Join our 'Scrounging team'!

 With materials comprising around 50% of costs, we need to source free or cheap materials from suppliers if we’re going to complete this project within our very tight budget. With that in mind, we are in the process of drawing up a list of materials that we need and are looking for volunteers to help us scrounge bargains! It’s a fun, creative and rewarding role and you’d be surprised at the number of suppliers who are already supporting our local, community-run pub project, so we are hoping for an encouraging response from people on the list.   If you’d like to find out more about what’s involved please contact our Head of Volunteers, Julian Davies at volunteers@savethehoppole.org

Making good building progress

A quick update from the team to say that the building works are progressing well. The phase 3 planning public consultation period ends on Friday 26th January with the determination date set for 8th February. This is for the extensions at the rear, the new kitchen and the loo block. We will keep you updated with planning progress.

Time for a quizzing tipple at the Top Pole

The next Top Pole pop-up pub is on Friday 26th January, 6:30 - 10:00pm at the Limpley Stoke Village Hall.

This month, they are hosting a trivia quiz so put your thinking caps on. The quiz sheet is £2 and can be bought by a team or an individual. The winner(s) will receive a well deserved prize! To fuel your brain, they are also offering a charcuterie board and a cheese board, both served with bread, followed by treacle tart with custard or cream. The mains are £8, the pudding is £2.50, so please email orlamorrish@gmail.com to order your choice of food. Hope to see lots of you on there on the 26th!

Sing along with the Limpley Strokes!

Mon, 15 Jan 2024 13:44:05 GMT

Another great reason to donate towards our campaign!

Our brilliant resident band, The Limpley Strokes, have made some time in their busy gigging schedule to write a song just for us! Based on 'At the Hop' by Danny & The Juniors, the band have written and recorded their very own version (can you see where this is going?) called 'At the Hop (Pole)'! You can see it on YouTube here . It's a lot of fun and it's all about raising awareness around our campaign, so if you're jigging around to this in your kitchen please make even a small donation here via our PayPal account . Thank you!

Hop Pole News: January 2024

Fri, 05 Jan 2024 16:39:50 GMT

Hop Pole News: Funding & planning update

Fundraising momentum : £30,000 to go!

On 18th October 2023, we launched a second £300,000 share issue with a minimum of £150,000 needed by the end of January 2024 for the project to go ahead. If this share issue is a success, we are confident that, come hell or high water, we’ll reopen the Hop Pole. If this share issue fails, this project will have to be abandoned. The good news is £120,000 has already been subscribed so we only need another £30,000 (minimum).

So please, please dig deep, seek out any spare change down the back of your sofas and subscribe to a few more shares, so we can reach this target and fulfil our dream of reopening the Hop Pole as a community hub and pub.

To subscribe for shares, just complete the share application form on our website and transfer your funds. Before investing we recommend you read our share offer prospectus and associated business plan , both of which are available on our website. We answer some FAQs below and if you have any further questions please do not hesitate to email us at limpleystokecbs@gmail.com or call Simon Coombe on 07966 027637.

FAQs

Q: When will the Hop Pole be reopened?

A: If we raise sufficient funds, we hope to reopen the Hop Pole in Autumn 2024.

Q: How much have you raised so far?

A: We have raised a total of £1,020,000 so £30,000 represents the last 3% of the funds required to reopen the Hop Pole.

Q: Where has all this money come from?

A: 600 people invested £570,000 in our first share issue, a further £330,000 has been raised from grants and over 100 people have subscribed £120,000 in our second share issue.

Q: What happens if you don’t raise the final £30,000 by the end of January 2024?

A: If we don’t raise the £150,000 minimum for the second share issue by the deadline, the issue will be deemed to have failed and all these subscribers will be refunded in full. We're then likely to have to sell the building to the highest bidder and, after repaying all grants and overage obligations, the existing shareholders will receive the balance which will be a fraction of their original investment. Please note the management committee have the right to extend the end-January 2024 deadline by up to four weeks.

Q: What happens if you raise £150,000 but are short of your £300,000 target?

A: Under this scenario we will be forced to use our limited funds as sparingly as possible. This will increase our dependence upon volunteer labour and donated materials and result in the building having a less high quality finish and a delayed reopening date.

Q: How easy is it to top up my existing shareholdings?

A: Very easy. If you have already subscribed the minimum £200 to this issue and want to add to that, please feel free to do so as any additional funds you can offer will be much appreciated. Just complete the share application form on our website here and email us to let us know this is a top-up investment.

Q: If I don’t have any spare funds, what else can I do to help?

A: If you have any spare time or relevant expertise please join our merry group of volunteers by emailing us at volunteerslscbs@gmail.com . You can also help by spreading the word to friends and neighbours - the more people who get Inn-volved, the better the Hop Pole will be!

Your views are essential : planning application support needed

The latest application for the repair, enhancement and reuse of our Hop Pole Inn has been logged with Wiltshire Planners. As always, the application planning process invites comments to be submitted from both statutory parties and those with an interest. Please note that of all the applications logged so far this one crucially needs community input to highlight the importance of the new rear elements in achieving an accessible, vibrant and viable business. All comments are welcome however only those comments that address relevant planning policy matters carry any real weight in the officer’s assessment. With this in mind, we wish to invite you to add comments of support at the link below please, before 26th January, on the following themes (please don’t copy and paste but rewrite along the lines of these ideas):

Redevelopment of rear of the building : this will create a larger, more efficient and cost-effective space in which the pub can thrive as a business. Without this additional development, the long term sustainability of the business is put under pressure.
Accessibility : level access throughout will allow ease of access into the pub, its facilities and garden. Planned changes range from widened doorways though to new WCs, as well as level access and new rear elements that make the garden a space for all.
Welcome : A more inviting, accessible and welcoming front of house letting all visitors and passers-by know that the pub and community hub is open for business and encouraging all ages to be part of the community.
Proposals for the garden and the garden room : the garden has always been a key benefit for the Hop Pole, bringing in warm weather diners and drinkers. Our plans will allow visitors the opportunity to dine and drink outside all year round - a welcome addition for visitors and also a vital asset for the business.

If you would like to add a comment we would be hugely grateful so please click here and select the 'Comments' tab . Thank you.

New committee member : Welcome Julian!

We're delighted to welcome Julian Davies to the Save the Hop Pole committee, specifically looking after our brilliant band of volunteers! Many of you will know Julian as a long term resident and also as the electrician keeping the community aglow. Julian will be working closely with the building team and looking for tasks that we can put to our volunteers, so please keep your eyes peeled for Julian's calls to arms when we need you. Thank you again to all of our volunteers. This project would not be where it is without your valuable help!

Hop Pole News: December 2023

Tue, 02 Jan 2024 10:57:16 GMT

Hop Pole News: we've hit another fundraising milestone!

Our campaign makes TV headlines

Our plight made the ITV news! Many thanks to the team at ITV, particularly to Limpley Stoke resident and ITV reporter Victoria Davies, for covering our campaign. Every bit of exposure is vital for the project so this was another sprinkling of gold dust for us. You can see the report here and please remember that if this message hits home to you, invest in the project to save our pub as soon as you can. Thank you!

We've hit another fundraising milestone - we're getting there!

As you know, following the AGM we released a second share issue and stressed the urgent need for more financial support to complete the project. We're delighted to say that we have now exceeded the £100k mark, which is hugely encouraging although there’s still a long way to go to reach our £300k target, so please keep your funds coming in.

Important reminder: please note that all money invested in this second share offer will be secure and ring-fenced until we reach our minimum hurdle of £150k (by the end of January 2024) at which point the share issue will go live and all investors will receive their share certificates. If this minimum is not achieved, the share issue will be deemed a failure, all monies will be returned and the project abandoned. To buy shares or to find out more information please click here.

Special offer : a bottle of delicious olive oil to help our campaign

With the kind generosity of Limpley Stoke residents Julian & Rebecca Davies, we have a very special offer for you. Julian recently bought a property near Arrone, in Umbria Italy, with its own olive grove, and Julian has donated to us 20 500ml bottles of his extra virgin olive oil to sell at £20 per bottle towards our campaign. When making this batch of oil, they decided to go for an early harvest when the olives are less ripe, which means the yield is lower but the quality is higher. The olives were harvested by hand and then taken to a local olive press or 'frantoio', where they were washed and cold pressed. Unlike the oil you will buy in supermarkets it is completely unprocessed, therefore it is cloudy and may include a little bit of sediment. There is only one word for it...BUONO!

We're offering these to you on a first come first served basis. Buyers will need to collect from Limpley Stoke please, as the bottles are glass and not suitable for posting. We're sure these will be snapped up so please email lucy.poloniecka@gmail.com to secure your bottle and make payment. Grazie!

Share the community love with this thoughtful idea

Some of our investors are very kindly buying shares as Christmas gifts, which we think is a fabulous idea (of course), so to make investing and gifting as easy as possible for you, we've created a gift certificate that you can print out and hand to your lucky recipient on the Big Day. To apply for shares please click here and to request a gift certificate please email sallyhumpston@gmail.com .

Sing along with The Limpley Strokes!

Celebrate Christmas with a tipple at the Top Pole!

While our beloved pub continues its restoration and TLC, the Top Pole in Middle Stoke is carrying the mantle as village watering hole brilliantly! Toast your friends, neighbours and new faces at the next Top Pole gathering on Friday 15th December, 6:30pm - 10pm at the Village Hall in Middle Stoke. For any questions, please contact orlamorrish@gmail.com. Cheers!

Thank you and please stay in touch

As we reach the end of the year, we want to say thank you to everyone of you who has bought shares, worked tirelessly behind the scenes, donated time or materials and has spread the word to help our campaign. We have got this far on the back of the strong, special community spirit that will see this pub reopen, so let's keep pushing forward and complete the final stages in early 2024! Follow all our news on socials (Instagram @the_hop_pole_inn & Twitter @thehoppoleLS ) or please email us at limpleystokecbs@gmail.com if you have any other queries.

Thank you again for your support and Merry Christmas!

Our campaign makes ITV news!

Sun, 26 Nov 2023 10:15:59 GMT

Our campaign hits the screen!

Many thanks to ITV news and local reporter Victoria Davies for covering our ongoing campaign on our regional ITV news! The feature includes interviews with the committee members, alongside photos of the pub over the years and lots of shots of our fantastic volunteers hard at work. Please click here to see the report and watch this space for more updates.

Hop Pole News: November 2023

Sun, 26 Nov 2023 10:07:59 GMT

Hop Pole News: The scaffolding is off - let's keep pushing forward!

With the scaffold removed you can see there has been a great deal of progress. The roof is on, the chimneys have been mounted, the building is watertight once more and the windows are being fitted as we write. With the envelope secure, works can continue inside and at the rear of the pub, which is excellent progress.

Just in the nick of time, we received our Phase 2 Planning Permission and Listed Building Consent on 7th November. This grants us permission to complete the internal works, repairing and renewing the floors and ceilings, including elements such as wall linings, as well as the complete revamp of the services and drains. Works are underway and with your valuable financial support we hope to continue this work beyond December.

Following this approval, we are now able to progress the levelling of the rear landscape and to repair and renew the drains. Work in the run up to Christmas will focus on the ground works and installation of the services. With Phase 2 approval secured, Phase 3 will be submitted to Wiltshire Planners very soon.

Please keep the money coming in! The Building Team can spend every penny that is raised and we need at least another £300k (with an interim target of £150k) if we are to progress the works beyond December. Please see below for more details on how you can support the campaign.

We've hit a milestone in our vital fundraising campaign - let's keep it up

As you know, following the AGM we released a second share issue and stressed the vital importance of more financial support to complete the project. We're delighted to say that since the release of the new share issue we have already exceeded the £50k mark, with investments coming in from both existing shareholders and new investors, so please keep adding to to our fundraising pot with any amount that you can spare!

Without reaching our financial target we will have to abandon the project so it’s crucial that people invest now. To make it as easy as possible to support the campaign we have released a second share issue, and you can find all the details in our new share prospectus and updated business plan, both of which can be found here. To help with our fundraising and buy shares now please click here.

This is crunch time! We urgently need your support so please act now so that we can complete the outstanding essential work and reopen the Hop Pole Inn in 2024 as a sustainable and vibrant village pub and hub. Thank you once again for all of the incredible financial support we have received to date.

Opportunities to join our busy team

As part of the Limpley Stoke Community Benefit Society’s second birthday celebrations we are looking for one or two new members to join the board. It’s a rewarding project and we are a fun gang to work with! If you’re interested in finding out more, please contact Simon Coombe on 07966 027637 or simonhjcoombe@hotmail.com.

Hop Pole News: October 2023

Wed, 25 Oct 2023 10:34:35 GMT

Hop Pole News: AGM summary & second share issue released

We are delighted to share the slides from our shareholder AGM on 18th October 2023, attended by 110 people who gave their unanimous support for us to proceed with our plans. Please click here to see the slides on our website.  

At the Annual General Meeting we:

presented the latest accounts
unveiled the exciting new branding for the pub including application to website and pub sign
outlined the next steps for renovation and repair of the building
stressed the vital importance of more financial support to complete the project . Without this final pot of money we will have to abandon the project so it’s crucial that people invest now . To make it as easy as possible to support the campaign we have released a second share issue, and you can find all the details in our new share prospectus and updated business plan, both of which can be found here . To help with our fundraising and buy shares now please click here .

This is crunch time! We need your support so please act now so that we can complete the outstanding essential work and reopen the Hop Pole Inn in 2024 as a sustainable and vibrant village pub and hub.   

Thank you again for your amazing help and support !

Hop Pole News: September 2023

Mon, 11 Sep 2023 14:06:08 GMT

Hop Pole News: AGM amended date & progress updates

AGM : change of date to 18th October

Due to factors beyond our control, we have had to postpone our AGM. The new date for the meeting is Wednesday 18th October at 7pm at Freshford Village Hall, so please update your diaries. We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible then.

We need more money!

You’ll be pleased to hear that Phase 1 of the project to refurbish the external frame of the building (roof, windows and walls) is being completed on-budget and very nearly on-time. We are also delighted to announce that we have been donated/promised goods and services of around £200,000 and, in the past week, have received two more grants taking our grants total to £331,000. Unfortunately, as a result of the cost-of-living crisis, the well of ‘free money’ through grants is running dry and although we are scrimping and saving as much as possible the cost of refurbishing a dilapidated 16th century building and bringing it up to modern building regulations is eye-wateringly high.

We are in the process of obtaining detailed quotes from our contractors for the final two phases of this project but in order to proceed we are likely to need more than the £300,000 we estimated at our last meeting. To this end we will be announcing a second share issue, possibly accompanied by a crowdfunding campaign, at our AGM on 18th October 2023. Please mark this date in your diary and, if all possible, come along where you can hear the detailed numbers and ask your searching questions. As always, we will be providing a barrel of beer, wine and soft drinks.

Delving into the history of the Hop Pole Inn

Over the summer the team threw open an invitation to join our Hard Hat Tours to anyone wanting to take a look inside the pub and learn more about the history and future plans. The tours filled up very quickly and visitors have found the insight into the social and architectural history of the pub fascinating. Please do let us know if you missed the opportunity but would still like to come for a tour and we’ll try to release some more dates.

In addition to the Hard Hat Tours, we have also been incredibly fortunate to have a local historian, Sara-Jane Socha, conducting extensive research into the social history of the pub. For example, did you know that in the late 1880s the landlord of the Hop Pole launched the annual Aquatic Sports day along the river, including swimming races, diving competitions and, of course, walking the greasy pole for a leg of mutton? We plan to publish these wonderful and insightful stories in due course so please look out for updates soon.

Brand new windows : craftsmen on board

In further progress news, James Crossman of Iron Age Forge and John Yeo, glass conservator, are teaming up to bring their craft skills to bear on the Hop Pole windows. They are generously giving their time and expertise to fabricate new windows to closely emulate those that would have once been present. This will greatly enhance the appearance of the front of the building while also reinstating functionality to open the windows once more.

Moving ahead naturally and sustainably

Over the past few weeks, the repair works team discovered that the pub is built of stone set in Earth mortar, and we were totally astonished to discover that the ground of our pub is the main source of this mortar. This is truly a lost art common before the 1700s but little known today. With help from Pete Walker of University of Bath and Sam Clayson of SSHC, the team along with our brilliant volunteers went digging in the Hop Pole garden and surrounding areas to find the material to match the existing mortar. Having collected numerous buckets of earth and sifted through it all, this will now be used to consolidate and repair the walls. What could be more natural? A wonderful, traditional process that continues to add to our inspiring journey.

Opportunities to join our busy team

Contractor Opportunities

Sun, 10 Sep 2023 10:33:20 GMT

Contractor opportunities : September 2023

Repair and renovation work for Phase 2 is due to commence soon. In compliance with the Government Grant,

we are advertising those aspects of work that have not already been tendered. The relevant works are split into sub-contract packages listed below. Any party wishing to express interested should be aware of the following:

Works will be as sub-contractors to Ken Biggs Contractors
Tender will be due for return by mid-October
Works will require sub-contractors to work with the LSCBS volunteers
These works will be advertised for two weeks from 9th September – 22nd September
Tender documents to be issued on 23rd September
Tenders to be returned by 6th October

Packages available for tender are:

Mechanical duct and vent
Electrical installation
Plumbing installation
Internal Decoration
Kitchen and Bathroom fitting

Expressions of interest should be made to limpleystokecbs@gmail.com

Volunteer Opportunities

If you would like to volunteer your skills and give your time towards getting the pub ready for reopening, we would love to hear from you. Please drop us a line at volunteerslscbs@gmail.com

Building Update : And we're underway!

Thu, 13 Jul 2023 13:56:11 GMT

Latest progress update: 13th July 2023

We are very excited that the scaffolding is up, the roof is off and the work has started to resurrect our beautiful pub. Phase 1 involves securing the external structure of the building (roof, walls and windows). Alan Dun, our award-winning local sculptor has helped us celebrate this milestone by turning the building site into a fundraising art installation, along with brilliant help from Candy Harrison. Big thanks to them both and if you haven’t yet seen it, please come and take a look.

Assuming the planning application approval comes through swiftly, we hope to start Phase 2 in August, which will involve the work required to restore the inside of the building (damp proofing, replacing rotten floors, insulating the walls, electrics, plumbing and decoration). Phase 3, which comprises replacing the obsolete kitchen and toilet blocks will take place in 2024 and, so long as we raise the necessary funds, we hope to reopen the Hop Pole next summer. Bring it on!

Full steam ahead : clearing & prepping

Mon, 22 May 2023 20:53:10 GMT

Latest progress update: 22nd May 2023

More progress was made this weekend on clearing and prepping the Hop Pole ready for our contractors to begin work in the next few weeks. A BIG thank you to our latest bunch of brilliant volunteers who helped us to clear a very grimy roof space which was covered in thick layers of old insulation and several inches of dust. The team also worked hard to remove the old rear canopy from the pub. It was dirty, backbreaking work on one of the hottest days of the year so far, so our (hard) hats go off to them for their valuable contribution. Every hour given by a volunteer makes a huge difference so thank you to all of you!

Hop Pole News: April 2023

Mon, 22 May 2023 20:27:31 GMT

Save the Hop Pole update, April 2023

We are delighted to share the slides from our March 2023 shareholder’s meeting in which 90 shareholders unanimously asked us to crack on with our revised plan. Please click here to see the slides on our website .  

Since our AGM in October 2022, we were thrilled to be one of only three pubs in the country to be awarded a Community Ownership Fund (COF) grant of £300,000. This grant, however, arrived with some caveats which included having to delay our project by 9 months and then being required to spend £550,000 by 10th December 2023. Luckily our crack building team and advisors have devised a cunning three-phased plan to meet these challenges: 

Phase 1: Insulating/ repairing the external fabric of the building (roof, walls and windows). We are half-way through the tendering process and building work will start in June.
 Phase 2: Upgrading the inside of the building (structure, walls, floors, heating, ventilation, plumbing etc). Our Listed Building Consent application has been submitted and we hope to start this work in August. 
Phase 3: Kitchen & toilets. Planned for early 2024.

At the same time, the building team have removed the planned extension, helping reduce our cost projections from £1,500,000 to £920,000, whilst ensuring we still have sufficient covers for a long-term sustainable business.

Including the COF grant, we currently have secured funding of £520,000 which leaves us with an estimated £400,000 deficit. We plan to fill this funding gap through a combination of grants, volunteer labour, bringing in new shareholders and asking existing shareholders to increase their investment. It’s a daunting sum of money but, having already raised £860,000, we are confident - with your help - we can achieve it.  

To this end we would be very grateful if you could complete this questionnaire to allow us to identify the areas in which you can help. Please click here to access the online questionnaire . At Wednesday’s night’s meeting one shareholder pointed out, ‘if everyone invested another £500-£1,000 we’ll be home and dry’. We are, however, aware that many of you have limited spare funds and other, equally important, ways of helping are joining our fundraising group and/or identifying new shareholders who might like to own a stake in a thriving community pub - and have their name proudly displayed on our board!

  We look forward to receiving your completed questionnaires. In the meantime, please feel free to read our updated business plan which can be found here on our website . If you have any questions please feel free to contact Simon Coombe at simonhjcoombe@hotmail.com or 07966 027637.  

Thanks again for your amazing help and support.

  With best wishes,   

Sally, Simon, Lucy, James, Jess, Tim & Nick 

The Hop Pole Management Committee

Hop Pole News: March 2023

Thu, 16 Mar 2023 16:53:07 GMT

Save the Hop Pole update, March 2023

As always, it has been a very busy time at Save the Hop Pole HQ, so here is a round up of our latest news.

Shareholder meeting : Wednesday 29th March, 7pm

As promised at our AGM, our next shareholder meeting will take place at 7pm on Wednesday 29th March at Freshford Village Hall. At the meeting we'll share updates on progress and plans on saving our beloved Hop Pole, and drinks will be provided, so please put the date in your diaries. If you can’t make this date, we will be sending out a newsletter afterwards summarising all the key information. We look forward to seeing many of you then.

Plans to raise additional funding

Since the announcement that the project has been awarded a Community Ownership Fund (COF) of £300,000, our team has been hard at work planning the coming months, so that we can meet the tight deadlines imposed upon us. It is important to note that even with the COF secured, we still need another £250,000 of funding and we will explain our plan to raise this at the shareholder meeting.

Building update : Listed Building Consent submitted and contractor tender advertised

Our Building Group and Design Team have been working all hours and within a very tight time schedule to get our project onto site.

To cut costs we have streamlined our building design, and to start building work quickly we have split the scheme into phases. We expect to receive consent for Listed Building Consent One (LBC01) for the external walls and roof by 29th March. Tender for these works is now being advertised and we hope to appoint a contractor by the end of April. LBC02 which relates to the internal fabric and structural repairs is due for submission on 3rd April.

There’s no disguising that the short period set by the COF is requiring a dynamic and energetic approach by the whole team. We are endeavouring to move fast so that we can get the best value from the COF grant with the intention of exploiting every penny that has been made available. There will be a further update from the main team at the EGM. Please do come along to this important meeting.

Volunteers needed for heavyweight garden work

We have two outdoor volunteer jobs coming up over the next few weeks. We have outlined the jobs below so if you think you’re up for helping please let Nick know your availability on volunteerslscbs@gmail.com . Both jobs will be weather dependent so Nick will keep willing volunteers updated on exact dates.

1) The first job is to split and stack the logs following the felling of the large Norway Spruce (see picture above), so it can be used to heat our pub. The roots of the tree have impacted the pub drains and the tree was very large for its proximity to the building so we removed the tree now to avoid any conflict with the nesting season. Many thanks to Alan Duck and his team for their kind expertise in taking the tree down. Tom, one of our volunteers, has kindly agreed to lend us a powered log splitter, which is an essential bit of kit for a tree of this size. Even with that, it is quite a physical job so we would need three people who are happy to muscle in and help split and stack at the end of the skittle alley bottom left of garden, please.

2) The second job is the removal of the pond and its surrounding stones in preparation for the levelling of ground to the rear of the building. As you’ll see from the photos it’s quite a lump and everything will need to be removed down to ground level and taken to the bottom of the garden, with any decent stones being added to the existing low garden wall. We’d need around six people for this one and again it’s a very physical job so please only volunteer if you feel able. When you do come along, any wheelbarrows and other bits of useful kit that you could bring would be most welcome.

Thank you. We couldn't do this without our brilliant volunteers!

Community Ownership Fund (COF) visit

Jo Cadell from the DLUHC will be visiting us on Thursday 30th March. It would be really beneficial to invite a couple of supporters along to meet Jo and reiterate the importance of the reopened Hop Pole to the local community, so if you are available and would like to help please contact Simon Coombe at simonhjcoombe@hotmail.com .

Stay in touch

The opportunity to buy shares remains open, so for all the latest on buying shares, joining our band of volunteers (you can email Nick direct on volunteerslscbs@gmail.com ) or upcoming events please keep an eye on our website www.savethehoppole.org and follow the links to our social media feeds (Instagram @the_hop_pole_inn & Twitter @thehoppoleLS ). We're here to help so please email us at limpleystokecbs@gmail.com if you have any other queries.

Thank you again for your support!

Sally, Simon, Lucy, James, Jess, Tim & Nick

The Hop Pole Management Committee

Extraordinary General Meeting : 29th March

Mon, 06 Mar 2023 16:56:00 GMT

Date for your diary : EGM on Wednesday 29th March

The Limpley Stoke Community Benefit Society Limited (LSCBS) will host its Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) on Wednesday 29th March at Freshford Village Hall. More details around timings will be released nearer the date. At the meeting we'll share updates on progress and plans on saving our beloved Hop Pole so please put the date in your diaries.

Hop Pole News: January 2023

Thu, 26 Jan 2023 11:16:57 GMT

Save the Hop Pole update, January 2023

Moving forward into 2023 : firing on all cylinders!
Having received the fantastic news on 10th December that we had been awarded a COF grant of £300,000, now the hard work really begins. We have until 10 December 2023 to spend that much-needed money so the team has been putting heads together to come up with an achievable, realistic plan to work towards. We have a number of hoops to jump through including four planning applications (Listed Building Consent and Planning permission) and tendering for contractors to keep the project moving ahead swiftly and smoothly, so we are drawing up a workable schedule to make the whole process as manageable as possible.

Our initial focus is the repair, restoration and long-term sustainability of the existing building including the roof, guttering, masonry, damp proofing and internal fabric of the building. From the outside, it may look as though not much physical work is being completed on the pub, but behind the scenes we are working flat out to push the project forward! We will update you as we go and will give you a full briefing at our next EGM.

It's all about team work...

With an extremely busy 12 months ahead, we have restructured our team to manage the project most efficiently. The main change is that we have created a Building Team sub-group to run all aspects of the pub’s repair, restoration and extension. This Building Team will be headed up by Tim Tuckey, the project manager is James Sibson and the volunteers will now be co-ordinated by Nick Humpston. In addition, Nick has handed the role of Company Secretary over to Sally Humpston so Sally will be the main contact regarding shares going forward. A sensible and timely reshuffle which is already running well!

Volunteer update : spring clear out and the road ahead

So far, with your help we have turned the wilderness into a garden fit for a Summer Jubilee party and a Winter Christmas market. We have removed three skip loads of rubbish, recycled where we can and sold to a scrap metal dealer to help the bottom line. This week, our team of hardy helpers stripped the interior of the pub, clearing the kitchen, cellar, bathroom and store room, as well as the upstairs rooms. We even took out some of the windows for review and restoration.

Our volunteers have achieved so much already, but as you know the main work hasn’t really started yet. Next steps are that our main tender document will be put together and a Principal Contractor will be appointed. We will then go through that document with our appointed contractor to identify exactly what works can be carried out by volunteers, potentially with some specialist training. Without this important work by our volunteers the project cannot succeed! There are approximately 100 volunteers on the list of which approximately half have been used so far, so if you haven’t yet helped out you will get the opportunity later this year. Please look out for ‘calls to arms’ in our newsletters and social media and thank you, as ever, for your magnificent help!

As the previous head of volunteers, Tim, is moving across to the Building Team he would like to pass on his personal thanks to anyone who has volunteered and helped out in any capacity while he headed up the team. All emails to volunteerslscbs@gmail.com and tasks involving our brilliant volunteers will now be dealt with by Nick Humpston.

Save the date : EGM

As promised, we will be holding an EGM at the end of Q1 to update you all on our plans. The EGM has been booked for Wednesday 29th March at Freshford Village Hall. Timings and further details will be issued nearer the time, so please pop this date in your diaries.

Stay in touch

Thank you again for your support!

Sally, Simon, Lucy, James, Jess, Tim & Nick

The Hop Pole Management Committee

Hop Pole News: December 2022

Tue, 20 Dec 2022 13:51:15 GMT

Save the Hop Pole update, December 2022

It has been a very busy time at Save the Hop Pole HQ, so here is a round up of our latest news...

£300,000 Community Ownership Fund awarded to the Hop Pole!

We’re ending the year on a huge high having just had confirmation that the project has been awarded £300,000 from the Community Ownership Fund. This is a game changing amount of money and it means we are now more confident than ever before of reopening the Hop Pole as a community pub at the heart of Limpley Stoke.

Whilst this fantastic news means we can now start work on refurbishing our precious building, our fundraising work is still ongoing to raise a further £300k+ so that we can complete the project. We will continue to keep you updated on future funding opportunities and progress, but in the meantime thank you for all your encouraging and kind messages of congratulations. Your support keeps us going.

Thank you for supporting our Christmas Market!

Thank you to the 350 of you who visited our Christmas Market on 1st Dec to kick off the festive season. The Limpley Strokes debuted their new anthem ‘At the Hop…Pole!’, the mulled wine flowed freely, delicious Hartley Farm burgers were a hit and there was a warm glow once again all around the Hop Pole. Many thanks to our wonderful stallholders who said ‘ it was a pleasure to be there and support such a lovely community ’, ‘ we enjoyed the welcoming atmosphere ’ and ‘ I’d love to be part of this event again ’.

We would like a extend a particular thanks to Gemma Painter, our hard working volunteer whose idea it was, Abbey Ales for donating the beer and our very own Tim who worked like a Trojan in pulling it all together. On the night we raised over £1,100 towards the Hop Pole renovation, which is fantastic. Now all we have to do is hope that Santa delivers all the wishes that were asked for in our starlit grotto!

Architects appointed

The management team are delighted to announce that four architects tendered for our work and after a formal selection procedure we interviewed two architects at the end of November. Both were highly qualified for the job and it was a very tight decision but we finally appointed the Freshford-based Craig Underdown of the David Brain Partnership as our architect.

To overcome the complexity of restoring an historic Grade II listed building, Craig will work alongside our heritage architect, Rhys Brooks of Harrison Brooks Architects. We welcome Craig to the team and look forward to working with him.

Reaching out for local expertise

We have begun to discuss the project with local contractors. Initial discussions have been with conservation contractors in the hope we can plan for the repairs and renovation of the existing building while design and approvals are progressed for the extension. Clearly this will need care to manage and we will continue to seek the best people both within and beyond our community to help make this a reality. We would greatly welcome your involvement as part of a working party if you have experience with roofing, leadwork, joinery, masonry and experience operating commercial construction sites. The ambition is for us to capitalise on the skills within our community with the guidance of a full time contractor to support and steer the works.

What a year...

We started 2022 with 57p in our bank account and a 28-day timeline to secure funds to buy the Hop Pole. Thanks to your vital support we were delighted to receive the keys on 25th February. To round up a milestone year, here are the standout numbers that have kept our campaign moving forward:

£360,000 raised in 28 days to buy the Hop Pole
£540,000 of shares bought by over 500 valued investors
£311,000 of grants awarded from five organisations
100 brilliant volunteers who have cleared the garden, dug inspection pits, flipped burgers, built websites. You name it, they did it.
Four events organised and attended by over 1,000 people, in total
850 newsletter subscribers and over 1,000 social media followers tracking our campaign

So what does 2023 hold?

Amongst other things, the broader plans for the year ahead include:

Agreeing a final design with our new architect
Fundraising for another £300,000
Starting work on preserving the existing building
Submitting our planning application
Holding a shareholders meeting with an update in Q1
Landscaping the garden
Building the extension for the pub and community hub
Advertising for and interviewing prospective tenants
Getting ready to reopen the Hop Pole in 2024!

Stay in touch

The opportunity to buy shares remains open, so for all the latest on buying shares, joining our band of volunteers (you can email Tim direct on volunteerslscbs@gmail.com ) or upcoming events please keep an eye on our website www.savethehoppole.org and follow the links to our social media feeds (Instagram @the_hop_pole_inn & Twitter @thehoppoleLS ). We're here to help so please email us at limpleystokecbs@gmail.com if you have any other queries.

Thank you again for your support and we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Sally, Simon, Lucy, James, Jess, Tim & Nick

The Hop Pole Management Committee

Save the Hop Pole Funding Update

Sat, 10 Dec 2022 13:37:58 GMT

Hop Pole Funding Update : We got it!

£300,000 Community Ownership Fund awarded to save the Hop Pole!

We’re thrilled to announce that on Thursday 8th December we received a letter from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities confirming that we have been awarded £300,000 from the Community Ownership Fund. Our local MP, Michelle Donelan, drove over and congratulated us in person (see above). This is a game changing amount of money and it means we are now more confident than ever before of reopening the Hop Pole as a community pub at the heart of Limpley Stoke.  

Whilst this fantastic news means we can now start work on refurbishing our precious building, please note that our fundraising work is still ongoing to raise a further £300k+ so that we can complete the project. We will continue to keep you updated on future funding opportunities and progress, but in the meantime please raise a festive glass to being one huge step closer to reopening our beloved Hop Pole!  

Hop Pole News: Newsletter 2022

Mon, 21 Nov 2022 10:48:20 GMT

Save the Hop Pole update, November 2022

We’re busily moving the Hop Pole project along, so here is a round-up of news from the Hop Pole team and volunteers...

Get into the spirit at the Hop Pole Christmas Market on 1st December

We're very excited to be hosting a Hop Pole Christmas Market on Thursday 1st December from 4pm - 9pm. The festive market will be held outside the pub (front and back) with all the fun of the fair including a bar, BBQ, bottle tombola, mulled wine and mince pies, carol singers and, of course, Santa's Grotto. Alongside all these festivities, we have a selection of wonderful local makers taking stalls at the market - perfect for Christmas gifts or even a treat for yourself! Temp ting items for sale include handmade jewellery, artisan soaps and candles, handmade textiles, artwork and greetings cards, funky children's clothes, soft toys, peg dolls and hand crafted glass. For more details on all of these traders please see our website blog here .  

More hands are needed on deck! 

To ensure the event runs smoothly and efficiently, we need around 40 volunteers to help out, so please let us know if you are available. As always, your valuable help is hugely appreciated - thank you.  

Request for bottle donations

 In addition, for the Tombola we need donations of bottles (wine, fizz, craft ale, spirits all welcome), please! If you have a bottle to donate we'd really appreciate your dropping it off at Weir House on Lower Stoke. If you can’t drop it off then please email us to organise a handover. Thank you!

Finally, please come along on 1st December and enjoy the Market, bring your friends and family and spread the word. The event is all in aid of the Hop Pole renovation so where possible bring small denomination notes and coins to buy your food, drink and gifts (and don't forget a big bag to carry them all home in!)...and we'll bring the Christmas cheer!

Architect appointment update

Buoyed by our members’ support at the AGM, the management committee have short-listed two architects and hope to appoint the chosen group following our final interviews on 26th November. This will be a major step forward in helping us come up with a cost-effective design for our refurbishment programme. We will keep you updated on progress.

Cabinet reshuffle favours the Hop Pole

As you know, we are still awaiting the overdue announcement of whether we’ve been successful in getting the DLUHC’s £300,000 Community Ownership Fund (COF). The recent government reshuffle offered a small glimmer of hope. Rishi Sunak (who, as Chancellor, provided the funding for the initiative) appointing back to the DLUHC Michael Gove (who, as the Secretary of State for the DLUHC, set up the COF) and Michelle Donelan, our local MP and Hop Pole supporter, remaining as the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, all work in our favour. Michelle’s team has already been in touch asking for an update with our grant application, so we will update you all as soon as we have any news.

The Limpley Strokes raise the roof!

Our very own local village band, The Limpley Strokes, put on a private gig at the Limpley Stoke village hall on Saturday 12th November to raise the roof as well as much needed funds for the Save the Hop Pole campaign. The legendary venue was at full capacity with the frenzied crowds dancing till late - and importantly they raised £420 for the campaign! A big thank you to Abbey Ales who very kindly donated a barrel of Bellringer Beer for the cause, as well as to everyone who came along, and a HUGE thank you to the generous and very talented Limpley Strokes. Look out for more tour dates soon!

Stay in touch

The opportunity to buy shares remains open, so for all the latest on buying shares, joining our band of volunteers or upcoming events please keep an eye on our website and follow the links to our social media feeds (Instagram @the_hop_pole_inn & Twitter @thehoppoleLS ). We're here to help so if you have any other queries please email us at limpleystokecbs@gmail.com .

Thank you again for your support!

Sally, Simon, Lucy, James, Jess, Tim & Nick

The Hop Pole Management Committee

Hop Pole News: October 2022 AGM Review

Fri, 28 Oct 2022 15:15:53 GMT

Save the Hop Pole - Phase 2 : October 2022 AGM Review

Dear Supporter,

Review of AGM outcomes and discussion points

Many thanks to the 100+ shareholders who attended Monday night’s AGM and for the huge support they gave to the committee’s work. The full set of slides can be found on our website .

In summary, the outcomes of the meeting were:

The 2021/22 financial accounts were approved.
The auditor (The Alanbrookes Group Ltd) was approved for the financial year 2022/23.
Should the £300,000 COF grant not be forthcoming, shareholders unanimously rejected the proposal to abandon the project and repay all shareholder funds.
Shareholders unanimously approved the proposal to spend up to £30,000 in using professional help to proceed to the next stage of the project in which the Hop Pole can be reopened on a sustainable basis subject to financing.
The management committee were given a unanimous vote of support and re-elected.

During the meeting, the key issues that we discussed included:

Cost inflation

The project cannot be wholly protected from inflation. The construction industry is witness to significant cost increases with some products quadrupling in price since the Hop Pole’s business case was written in January 2022. This knowledge didn’t however prepare us for the shock of a detailed cost breakdown we received last week in which the costs of our business case were projected to rise from £600,000 to £1,500,000.

A quick analysis of the numbers enabled us to reduce these costs to £1,100,000. This is still, however, a dauntingly high figure which we hope to reduce further though the careful design of the scheme and maximum engagement of volunteer labour and local trade support.

Community Ownership Fund grant

The £300,000 COF grant issued by the DLUHC in 2021 was the bedrock behind LSCBS’s strategy of reopening the Hop Pole but the grant’s match-funding requirement has held back progress by forcing the management team to ‘beg, borrow and steal’ in order to make progress without spending any money. The deadline for the COF announcement was 19th October 2022 but the political crisis in Westminster has resulted in this decision being delayed. Instead we’ve been informed the DLUHC “are working to provide applicants with an outcome as soon as possible”.

After considerable discussion, shareholders did not support the management committee’s recommendation that, should the COF grant not be forthcoming, the project should be abandoned and all shareholders be paid back their investment. Instead, the management committee were asked to continue with the project and will work hard to explore additional grant opportunities and revenue streams.

Next steps for the project...

The management committee was given a unanimous go-ahead by shareholders present to proceed with the project and spend up to £30,000 in using professional help to investigate all opportunities to reopen an economically sustainable pub and, if necessary, to come back to shareholders with a request for more capital. A shareholder meeting will be convened at the end of Q1 2023 to outline the revised goal of reopening the Hop Pole in 2024.

Thank you and stay in touch

Thank you again for your continued support and engagement with the project. The AGM opened up many interesting conversations for us and the level of interaction amongst shareholders is hugely encouraging.

As always, for all the latest on buying shares, joining our band of volunteers or upcoming events please keep an eye on our website www.savethehoppole.org and follow the links to our social media feeds (Instagram @the_hop_pole_inn & Twitter @thehoppoleLS ). We're here to help so if you have any other queries please email us at limpleystokecbs@gmail.com .

Thank you again for your support!

Sally, Simon, Lucy, James, Jess, Tim & Nick

The Hop Pole Management Committee

Annual General Meeting Agenda

Mon, 10 Oct 2022 13:04:26 GMT

Annual General Meeting : Monday, 24th October 2022

The First Annual General Meeting of Limpley Stoke Community Benefit Society Limited will be held at

7pm on Monday, 24th October 2022 at

Freshford Village Memorial Hall, Freshford Lane, Freshford, BA2 7UR

Agenda

1. Apologies

2. Minutes of last meeting

3. Chairman’s report

4. Financial update

5. Building update

5. Report from other officers (secretary, marketing, volunteers, legal)

7. Election of Board

8. AOB

All are welcome but only shareholders are eligible to vote.

To assist with catering, if you expect to come to the meeting, please RSVP to replycbs@gmail.com which is also the address for sending your apologies if you are a shareholder and cannot attend.

Documents presented and minutes will later be made available on our website www.limpleystokecbs.org .

Limpley Stoke Community Benefit Society Limited is registered with the Financial Conduct Authority under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014, registered number 8721. Registered Office 37 Lower Stoke, Limpley Stoke, Wiltshire BA2 7FR

Hop Pole Christmas Fair : Thursday 1st December 2022

Fri, 30 Sep 2022 13:53:24 GMT

Hop Pole Christmas Fair: Thursday 1st December, 4pm - 9pm

A date for your diaries!

We’re excited to announce that we will be holding a Christmas Fair at the Hop Pole. Gemma Painter has kindly volunteered to coordinate this seasonal fundraiser which will be taking place on Thursday 1st December from
4pm - 9pm. There will be festive food and drink, stalls selling Christmas prezzies, live music and, of course,
a Santa’s grotto.

We have a selection of wonderful local makers taking stalls at the market - perfect for Christmas gifts, or a treat for yourself! They include:

Vibrant jewellery by Colour Designs
Handmade fragrance candles by Young Mary's
Natural artisan soaps by Apostle
Handmade textile by Lucy Poloniecka
Artwork and greetings cards by Denise Barnes
Fun children's clothes by The Magic Portal Club
Soft toys made from recycled and vintage fabrics by Igaganis
Handmade Christmas crafts by Copse And Cotton
Hand crafted glass by Glass By Wendy

Keep your eye on our social media posts for more details on these brilliant makers!

The event promises to be fun for all the family so please come along, bring your friends and family and spread the word! The event is all in aid of the Hop Pole renovation so where possible bring small denomination notes and coins to buy your food, drink and gifts...and we'll bring the Christmas cheer!

Hop Pole News: September 2022

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 16:11:32 GMT

Save the Hop Pole - Phase 2 : September 2022 newsletter

We’re busily moving the Hop Pole project along, so here is a round-up of news from the Hop Pole team and volunteers...

Volunteer prep work continues

Throughout the summer we’ve been moving forward with the prep work, continuing to clear the pub garden and digging our inspection pits. As you’ll be aware, the Hop Pole renovations include the repair and insulation of the old ground floor as well as the creation of a rear extension. As part of this extensive work, both the appointed Conservation Officer and the Structural Engineer have asked that the ground and existing foundations are revealed through six trial pits so that a condition survey can take place to inform the scope of the repairs. These pits were located and dug at the end of August and we now await an inspection visit from our Structural Engineer.

As always, none of this hard work would be possible without our trusty and valued volunteers so a very big thank you to everyone who has helped with digging, clearing and much needed refreshments!

Shares and share certificate distribution

There is still time to invest! We are truly grateful to all our shareholders who ensured that we had the funds we needed to purchase the Hop Pole. Now, with the task of renovating the pub ahead of us, the opportunity to buy shares remains open so please click here to read more and apply . Thank you.

Share certificates are being sent out to existing shareholders on a batch basis with many already landing in shareholder inboxes. If you haven’t received yours yet you should receive it shortly. As always, if you have any questions please let us know.

Community Ownership Fund (COF) grant application

As we mentioned in our last newsletter, we should be hearing the outcome of our £300k Community Ownership Fund grant application around 19th October so we will share any updates on that as soon as we have them.

Architect shortlist and interview process

We have started the process of interviewing architects, which is helping us to refine the scope of the project, review recommendations and get a more detailed understanding of costs. As soon as we have updates on these interviews and their outcome we’ll share it with you all.

Fundraiser's Kit

A number of you have come forward with great ideas for fundraising towards the pub renovations, which is really encouraging to see. To make the idea of fundraising even more appealing and simple for you, we’re pulling together a Fundraiser’s Kit which includes a ‘Save the Hop Pole’ logo, a few paragraphs of copy about the project to use on sponsorships forms, websites and so on, and details about your event’s inclusion in our newsletter and social media. If anyone is planning a fundraising event, firstly thank you and second please drop us a line and we’ll be delighted to share all of this kit with you.

'The Top Pole' : keeping it social until the Hop Pole reopens!

There is exciting talk of a temporary social to fill the gap before the Hop Pole reopens. As its name suggests 'The Top Pole' will be held further up the hill in the Village Hall, Middle Stoke, kicking off on Friday 21st October, 6:30pm - 10:00pm, with a bar, nibbles and lots of Friday night cheer. We'll see you there!

Dates for your Diary

AGM: Monday 24th October at 7pm

A reminder that our AGM will be taking place in Freshford Village Memorial Hall on 24th October. We will be providing an update on progress and you will have an opportunity to express your views. Refreshments will be provided so we look forward to seeing you then.

Hop Pole Christmas Fair: Thursday 1st December from 4pm

We're excited to be holding a seasonal fundraiser at the Hop Pole, with festive food & drink, stalls selling Christmas prezzies, live music and, of course, a Santa’s grotto. Pop the date in your diary and we'll send out more details soon.

Stay in touch

For all the latest on buying shares, joining our band of volunteers or upcoming events please keep an eye on our website and follow the links to our social media feeds. We're here to help so if you have any other queries please email us at limpleystokecbs@gmail.com.

Thank you again for your support!

Sally, Simon, Lucy, James, Jess, Tim & Nick

The Hop Pole Management Committee

Hop Pole News: August 2022

Thu, 18 Aug 2022 15:40:27 GMT

Save the Hop Pole - Phase 2 : August 2022 newsletter

Plans are afoot and good progress is steadily being made, so here is a round-up of news from the Hop Pole team and volunteers…

Funding update

£300k Community Ownership Fund (COF) grant application

Inflation isn’t our friend but we’ve identified an extra £50k pot to make this a £300k grant application. The good news for our application is that we’ve already bought the Hop Pole AND have the necessary £250k match funding in our bank account. The bad news is we won’t hear the outcome until 19th October and the DLUHC have told us not to spend any money if we want the full matched funding. The unfortunate impact of this is a 3-6 month delay to our project. We put hundreds of collective hours of work into our application to put us in the strongest possible position so we will update you as soon as we have news.

Share Certificates

We have begun issuing share certificates to all the amazing people who have purchased shares to help save the Hop Pole. Due to spam filter restrictions, we can only issue a small number of certificates each day but everyone should receive theirs within the next few weeks.

Dates for your diary

AGM: Monday 24th October at 7pm 

Our AGM will be taking place in Freshford Village Memorial Hall on 24th October. By this time, we’ll know the outcome of the COF grant (see above) and a revised timetable for the pub’s reopening. In addition to an update on developments as well as an opportunity for you to express your views, Members will be electing the Management Committee. We will be providing refreshments and look forward to seeing you so please mark this date in your diary.

Hop Pole Christmas Fair: Thursday 1st December from 4pm

Following the success of our wonderful Jubilee party where we raised £1k (thank you everyone!), we’re excited to announce that we will be holding a Christmas Fair at the Hop Pole! Gemma Painter has kindly volunteered to coordinate this seasonal fundraiser which will be taking place on 1st December from 4pm. There will be festive food & drink, stalls selling Christmas prezzies, live music and, of course, a Santa’s grotto. It’ll be fun for all the family so we ho-ho-hope you’ll put this date in your diary too!

Management Committee news : a marketing string to our bow

We’re delighted to report that Limpley Stoke resident Jess Lloyd-Smith has agreed to join our Management Committee with responsibility for marketing and comms. Many of you will know Jess for running gallery and art consultancy Modern ArtBuyer. Before setting up that business, Jess was global head of Marketing & Communications for a derivatives software trading company in the financial heart of the City of London and, more recently, Communications & Research Manager at St James’s Place Wealth Management in their Cirencester HQ. Jess is excited to be part of this worthwhile project.

Ticking the boxes : Bat survey complete

The bat survey of the Hop Pole has been completed and the assessment confirming limited likelihood of roosting bats will be included with the future planning application.

Tools at the ready : volunteers update

After the initial push to get the pub cleared of debris so that surveys could take place and to get the garden cleared ahead of our memorable Jubilee event, we’re now in a quieter spell.

We’ll soon be asking for half a dozen volunteers to dig some inspection pits, the findings of which will inform the renovation proposals and application for listed building consent, so please look out for calls to action from our volunteer coordinator Tim Tuckey.

In addition to that, there is an ongoing requirement for other small gardening teams to keep on top of weeds etc throughout the growing season. Again, Tim will send out a call to gardeners when we get the nod from Rod, our head gardener!

As always, a huge thank you to those who have helped so far in any form and to those who have yet to be called upon. Painting, decorating, furniture assembly etc aren’t needed until towards the end of the project but that help is crucial and hugely appreciated. If you know of anyone who would like to help out who hasn’t already volunteered then please do ask them to contact Tim at volunteerslscbs@gmail.com.

Stay in touch

Thank you again for your support!

Sally, Simon, Lucy, James, Jess, Tim & Nick

The Hop Pole Management Committee

Hop Pole News: July 2022

Fri, 05 Aug 2022 11:37:26 GMT

Save the Hop Pole - Phase 2 : July 2022 newsletter

Dear Supporter,

As you drive past our newly acquired community pub, everything may look serene but, like a swan gliding along a river, under the surface the Hop Pole team are paddling away like crazy. Here is an update of some of the things we’re up to...

Volunteers

Our amazing 80+ volunteers have been busy clearing, replanting and watering the garden which is now looking much larger than when it was overgrown – and very beautiful. A huge thank you to everyone who’s helped so far and if you’d like to join our group of happy volunteers, please contact Tim Tuckey at volunteerslscbs@gmail.com .

Parties

In June we held a spectacular Jubilee garden party in which, despite the rain, 350 people came to celebrate which reminded us how community minded we all are. We hope to announce some occasional pop-up pub evenings over the summer so you can come and enjoy our garden so keep an eye out on our website and social media for dates.

Surveys & Planning

Since acquiring the Hop Pole in February 2022, we’ve been busy making the building safe and carrying out the numerous surveys required before we can start resuscitating the pub. Obtaining Listed Building Consent and Planning Permission for an extension to a Grade II listed building is an involved process but we’re making good headway and are in an ongoing dialogue with Wiltshire Planners and Historic England. The design work is now underway and hope to be in a position to submit our full planning application in the early autumn.

Share certificates

We are beavering away on our computers and hope to distribute share certificates to all our shareholders later this month.

Community Ownership Fund Grant

The Government have at last published the details. We are delighted to announce that we were successful in clearing the first hurdle and have been accepted as meeting the criteria to proceed to the next stage. With the help of our fund-raiser consultant, we are now preparing our full application for the maximum £250,000. The outcome should be announced in mid-October. Please keep your fingers crossed.

Stay in touch

To find out more information about what we’re up to, to buy shares and/or join our team of volunteers, please take a look at our newly designed website. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please email us at limpleystokecbs@gmail.com .

James, Lucy, Nick, Sally, Simon & Tim

The Hop Pole Management Committee

Jubilee Garden Party & BBQ

Tue, 10 May 2022 10:42:55 GMT

As part of our community pub project and to raise a toast to Her Majesty the Queen's 70 years of service, The Hop Pole held a Jubilee garden party and BBQ on Friday 3rd June.

Despite the rain, spirits were kept high with delicious Hartley Farm burgers, a well-stocked bar and, of course, live music from our very own Limpley Strokes. We were delighted to see over 350 attend the party which reminded us how community minded we all are. Thank you to everyone who came and to all of our brilliant volunteers for making it such a memorable evening!

We hope to announce some occasional pop-up pub evenings over the summer so you can come and enjoy our garden so keep an eye out on our website and social media for dates.

Share Offer Extended!

Tue, 26 Apr 2022 10:38:36 GMT

A huge turnout for the EGM

Firstly, a big THANK YOU to everyone who packed out the village hall for our EGM. It was an amazing turnout - around 120 at the last count - and there was a palpable energy and enthusiasm. Many of you stayed late in the evening and we have carefully noted down all your excellent ideas, each of which will be examined thoroughly. This is your pub and we are determined to use your ideas to make it the best in the country.

For those of you who were unable to make it, we will be posting our slides on our website.

Vote of confidence in the Board

Thank you, also, for the unanimous vote of confidence in the management team. We are very conscious that we serve at your pleasure and there will be a formal election of the management committee at our autumn AGM.

Share certificates

We are delighted to announce that all fully-paid shareholders as at 26th April 2022 will receive their share certificate in the next few weeks.

Extending our share offer

In response to popular demand, and to maximise our financial flexibility, we have decided to extend our share offer to 25th January 2023. If we are successful with our grant applications, we may close the offer earlier but, don’t worry, we won’t do anything without letting you know beforehand.

As always, if you have any questions, please contact Simon Coombe on simonhjcoombe@hotmail.com.

Have a say in the future of YOUR pub!

Tue, 19 Apr 2022 10:34:56 GMT

This is a gentle reminder that our inaugural shareholder’s meeting is taking place tomorrow night – Wed 20th April – at 7.00pm in Freshford Village Memorial Hall, Freshford Lane, BA2 7UR.

We’ll update you on our plans but, more importantly, we want to hear your ideas about the future of this remarkable pub. This is also an opportunity for you to meet the management team, including our new volunteer coordinator - Tim Tuckey - and your fellow shareholders.

To ensure all your money is spent on the Hop Pole refurbishment, the management team are donating the refreshments (including a barrel of Kettlesmith’s Outline). To help us keep track of numbers, please RSVP limpleystokecbs@gmail.com.

We hope to see you tomorrow but, in the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact Simon Coombe on simonhjcoombe@hotmail.com.

Save the Hop Pole Phase 2 - Party Time

Sat, 02 Apr 2022 10:31:51 GMT

Party time!

We’re still hard at work but in the next month we are planning two fun events to bring everyone together. The shareholders meeting has been brought forward to Wed 20 April and we are hosting a party in the Hop Pole garden to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee on Fri 3 June. Full details are given below:

Shareholders meeting – change of date – Wed 20 April at 7pm

The date of our inaugural shareholders meeting has been brought forward and will now take place at 7:00pm on Wed 20 April in Freshford Village Memorial Hall. We will update you on our plans but, more importantly, we want to hear your ideas about the future of this remarkable pub.

This will be an interactive meeting and we hope you can make it. Refreshments will be served and, to help us with numbers, could you please RSVP limpleystokecbs@gmail.com.

Jubilee party – Friday 3 June at 6pm

You are cordially invited to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee with us on Friday 3 June from 6:00pm with a BBQ in the Hop Pole garden. Food, drink and music will be available and it’ll be a fun way of celebrating the purchase of our beautiful pub.

We hope as many of you as possible can make it and, to help with catering arrangements, please RSVP limpleystokecbs@gmail.com.

Surveys

The surveys are teaching us a lot about our beautiful building. Parts of the existing building dates from the 17th Century when it was a simple two room, single storey thatched building. By the late 1700s the east end had been built and at the end of the 1800s the roof had been raised to its current level. Visiting the Inn around 1900 would have been like walking into the front parlour of Tuckers Grave near Faulkland.

We’re also looking to build up a list of previous landlords and would be grateful for any information post-1976, including photos.

Volunteer coordinator

As we progress with Phase 2 of our project, we are looking to make best use of the 258 people who have generously volunteered their skills and muscles to help us with our work. To that end, we are looking for a volunteer coordinator to join the board. If you are interested in this important role, please contact Simon Coombe at simonhjcoombe@hotmail.com or 07966 027637.

Grants

Three pubs were recently awarded grants from the Community Ownership Fund ranging from £100k (the Bell, Leicestershire) to £240k (Prince of Wales, Helston) and we’re eagerly waiting the next round to open.

Share sales – final date - 26 April 2022

It’s not too late. The Hop Pole share offer closes on 26 April. Please act now if you want to buy some shares or top up your existing holdings.

Save the Hop Pole Phase 2

Mon, 21 Mar 2022 11:26:57 GMT

YES, we did it!

Thanks to all your help, the Hop Pole has been saved from the wrecking ball of a developer but now the hard work begins. You’ll be pleased to hear we haven’t been resting on our laurels and are cracking on with the task of turning this neglected building back into a vibrant pub at the heart of our community.

Surveys

As you know, this is an historic Grade II listed building and we have started the necessary structural and environmental surveys to prepare the path for our planning application. James Sibson, our in-house architect and old building expert is leading the charge and the good news is we’ve already received the thumbs up from the asbestos survey.

House & garden clearing

Last Saturday, a team of stalwart workers cleared decades of rubbish from the building. At the same time, another crack team made a start of clearing the garden which is suffering from years of neglect. We are determined to use our amazing volunteers to transform this outside space into a beautiful beer garden but there’s a lot more work to do…

Share sales – final date 26 April 2022

To date we have raised an amazing £500k from share sales and we have raised our target to £550k. The share offer is open until 26th April and it’s not too late to buy some shares or top up your existing holdings.

Grants

We have made a good start to our grant funding appeal thanks to the generosity of FLiSCA, the Limpley Stoke Parish Council and the Bradford on Avon Area Board but we need to raise another £250k. Much rests on the Community Ownership Fund which offers up to £250k of funding and we’re in regular contact with officials from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities who administer this grant . The next round of applications opens up in the Spring which the blossoming trees indicate is just around the corner. Wish us luck!

Shareholders meeting – save the date – 18th May at 7pm

We are very keen to bring all our amazing supporters together, let you know what’s going on and hear everyone’s ideas about the future of this remarkable pub. To that end we will be holding an inaugural shareholders meeting at 7:00pm on Wednesday 18th May at Freshford Village Memorial Hall. It will be an interactive meeting, refreshments will be served and we hope to see you there!

The Hop Pole is OURS!

Sat, 26 Feb 2022 11:21:39 GMT

Five weeks ago, we had 57p in our bank account and were given just 28 days to raise £360,000. We had our doubts this was possible but, thanks to the heart-warming support of almost 400 people, we completed the purchase of the Hop Pole at lunchtime yesterday. It is now ours.

To mark this important milestone, we held a party yesterday evening (see the photo above) filmed live on ITV. There is much to celebrate and now the hard work really begins.

So far, we have raised just short of our target of £500,000. An amazing achievement. Our best estimate is we will need at least a further £300,000 to get the Hop Pole back up and running as a sustainable and vibrant pub and the fund raising continues. We will be applying for grant funding to a number of community funds to help us towards this. The share offer remains open until 26th April 2022 so if you haven’t already bought shares, or would like to top-up your holdings, you can still do so by clicking on the Share Application button below, completing the form and transferring the funds to our bank account (details are on our website).

Next week we will start the process of getting the necessary surveys / planning etc with the challenging goal of reopening the Hop Pole by Christmas 2023. We aim to keep our costs as low as possible by using volunteers wherever possible and if you haven’t already, and would like to volunteer, please email us.

The 19-day fight to raise £360k to save a historic village pub near Bath

Fri, 28 Jan 2022 14:56:37 GMT

The Hop Pole in Limpley Stoke has been at the heart of the community for decades but it has been closed for the past three years.

Residents would like to run it as a community pub - but to do that they have been told they have just 19 days to find at least £360,000 or it will go to a property developer

"We suddenly realised how much we'd taken it for granted and we had to do something about the fact that it was going to go forever if we didn't move on it," said Simon Coombe, from the Save The Hop Pole Campaign.

The campaign has been receiving advice and encouragement from The Packhorse, a community-owned pub in the nearby village of South Stoke.

It was saved from developers four years ago and is now thriving.

Bob Honey, from The Packhorse, said: "If the community pulls together it can work yes. It's well used. It's just the heart.

"There's no shop, there's nothing else in the village, the school went decades ago the village has just the pub."

Mr Coombe says the campaign has had support from around the globe.

He told ITV News: "A gentleman from the west coast of America said 'I visited the pub a few years ago, I heard you want to save the pub, please can I pledge some money towards it? I'll probably never visit, but the idea of owning an English pub is something very special to me'.

"We've had support from Australia, Canada, Vietnam all over the world, it's been really heartwarming."

WATCH THE CLIP ON ITV WEST NEWS WITH VICTORIA DAVIES

Save the Hop Pole Campaign Update

Thu, 28 Oct 2021 12:23:27 GMT

Price Negotiations are Underway
We have a meeting with the seller's Agents on the 28th October to open the negotiations on purchase price. They were reluctant to meet, but we are insisting on 'in person' discussions as we know from others that the ultimate owners, the Reuben brothers, would prefer the property is turned into a residential home so they can maximise their profits. We plan to make a competitive offer (considerably below the asking price) subject to survey and funding and will report back the seller's response.

In the meantime, the team have been busy ...

Gathering more support (over 150 households and rising!)
Researching other sources of funding to add to the community share issue. FLiSCA have generously awarded us a £2,500 grant towards the surveys we need and we are asking the Parish Council for their support too.
Preparing for the December 2021 round of Community Ownership Fund Applications.
Meeting up with the team at the Packhorse Pub in Southstoke, who have been incredibly generous with their time and offer of support and advice.
Researching other community pubs who have successfully achieved their aim, some of which were formerly owned by the Wellington Pub Co.
In discussions with Wiltshire Council and our very supportive local Councillor, Johnny Kidney.
Drafting our 'Share Prospectus' and 'Business Plan' to publish as soon as we are confident our price negotiation is moving forward positively.
Preparing various possible options for plans for the development and renovation of the Hop Pole so that these are ready for consultation with the planners and to share with the community at the earliest opportunity.
Making positive contacts with people locally regarding the additional services we need to include website, marketing, social media presence and generally widening our profile to build further support.
Opening a Community Directplus Current Account with the Co-operative Bank (has been accepted). We are now members of the only UK high street bank with a customer-led Ethical Policy.

We will delay asking for pledges (not payment) until we are closer to agreeing a purchase price. We will not request payment until we are ready to use the funds.

We are still looking for more people to sign up as supporters so please keep spreading the word asking people to reply to replycbs@gmail.com

This is our 3rd newsletter so if, for whatever reason, you haven't received any previous copies please let us know using replycbs@gmail.com and we will resend them. Might be a good idea to check your 'Spam' folder first.

That's all for now folks. Again, a huge thanks for all your support. Be in touch again soon.

Campaign Update - September 2021

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 09:50:14 GMT

Stunning response from the Community

We have sent out 800 flyers to houses in Limpley Stoke, Freshford, Claverton and Winsley Hill. These were also distributed by email via Limpley Stoke and Freshford Parish Councils and the monthly Limpley Stoke newsletter.

The response has been truly amazing and it is clear that there is great support for trying to reopen the Hop Pole. As well as offers of financial support, many people have volunteered to help by offering their time and skills. Interestingly, there has been support from people beyond our villages who have heard about the campaign and have happy memories of the Hop Pole and want to support it. Do please spread the word and encourage others to join the campaign by sharing on social media.

The Limpley Stoke Community Benefit Society Limited is now set up and registered with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) reg no 8721

We have been guided through this process by the Plunkett Foundation, who specialise in advising and supporting community enterprises.

We have notified Wiltshire CC that we intend to bid for the Hop Pole and, as a result, the owners cannot sell to anyone other than us until 28 ^th January 2022.

Firming up some figures

After our visit to the building with a friendly surveyor and an architect, we are more confident about our initial estimate of £400,000 for the renovation work but we won’t know for certain until professional surveys have been undertaken.

We are about to enter negotiations with the Seller’s Agent and hope to arrive at a mutually agreeable price.

Do you want to be a part owner of the Hop Pole?

Before we ask anyone for any money, we will issue a prospectus setting out the terms of the share ownership. We will then hold a public meeting to explain the prospectus and answer any of your questions or concerns.

It is important to understand that this is an investment into a social asset so we can maintain a thriving pub in the heart of our community. Whilst the investment will be underpinned by the value of the building and we hope to offer a modest annual return once the pub is up and running, it is not without risk and we cannot guarantee when you will be able to redeem your shares.

Will you be able to choose the beer?

No! The Limpley Stoke CBS will own the building and will select a suitable tenant who will be responsible for the day-to-day running of the pub.

£250,000 Community Ownership Fund Grant

Underpinning our strategy is our hope to get a £250,000 capital grant from the Government’s £150m Community Ownership Fund. The next round of bidding is in December 2021 and, before then, we need to at least match this investment from the community. If we fail to achieve this benchmark, our plan to save the Hop Pole will fail.

The Board of Limpley Stoke CBS

We are delighted that Simon Coombe has recently joined us, bringing his considerable experience with similar enterprises and strategy skills to add to our skillset in the following areas:-

Building & design
Finance and administration
Legal

The Board are all volunteers and have other commitments. Given the workload required in the coming months, we are looking for more volunteers to join the Board. In particular we are looking for people with expertise in…

Comms (including social media & publicity)
Fund raising
Managing a hospitality business

To maintain our diversity, we are particularly keen to attract younger people and residents from all areas of our community. If you are interested in helping us save the Hop Pole, please write to us (with a CV or resume if you have one) at replycbs@gmail.com .

Huge thanks to all who want to get involved.

Limpley Stoke CBS
September 2021

Hop Pole News Alert

Sun, 01 Aug 2021 12:23:27 GMT

The Hop Pole has been on the market for the best part of a year now and no buyer has come forward. Empty, neglected, the property is visibly deteriorating. The selling Agents, have not been willing to
entertain any discussion regarding a plan to buy the Hop Pole by members of this community…UNTIL NOW…

The pub is registered as an Asset of Community Value (ACV), which, to summarise, means that having failed to find a buyer by 23rd July 21, they are now forced to offer the pub to the Community.

You may remember that the Parish Council headed up a bid to buy the Hop Pole with a loan from the Public Works Board in the first half of last year soon after the owners, Wellington Pub Co, told the Wiltshire Council of their intention to sell the freehold. The Parish Council offer of £218,000 was rejected and the owners put the pub on the open market. Rumours of various prospective buyers came and went, but the Agents would not divulge any details until May this year when they stated that it had been sold subject to contract and no other bids would be considered.

It would have been fantastic if this once vibrant pub had been sold, restored and reopened! We now know that there is no buyer in the wings and the Agents now have to offer the property to the community under the ACV rules, although there are time limits to be considered.

Who are we?

Lucy Poloniecka, Nick Humpston, Sally Humpston, and James Sibson, are a group of 4 residents who have been researching how best to save the Hop Pole from developers and to consider how to acquire
it for the community.

The timetable

The Hop Pole was put on the market for an asking price of £325,000 plus Vat last summer. It remains registered as an ACV until 23rd April 2024. The failure to find a buyer in the open market by the 23rd of July means that a Community Body can now give notice to Wiltshire Council of its intention to make a bid by 8th September 21. Wiltshire Council will then trigger a ‘full moratorium’ period, meaning no sale can take place, up to 28 January 2022. This period is intended to allow our Community time to raise funding and put together a credible bid to buy the asset.

The way forward

Now that the market has been tested and, following the announcement of a Community Ownership Fund in this year’s Budget, we have a very strong case for making another effort to buy the Hop Pole.

The plan would be to establish a Community Benefit Society to apply for the Government funding and to raise the additional sums needed to buy and renovate the Hop Pole. The pub would then be let to a
suitably qualified individual on terms that would make it commercially attractive to a tenant taking it on. Unfortunately, the Parish Council is not eligible to apply for this funding.

The cost

The grant from the Community Ownership Fund allows a bid of up to £250,000, provided that the Community Benefit Society can raise the same amount. The next opportunity to apply for the government funding is December this year.

An appropriate offer for the Hop Pole will depend on a detailed survey to establish the cost of the work needed to restore and fit out the building. It will also depend on the level of local interest in supporting
the scheme by the purchase of shares in the Community Benefit Society.

The advertised price is still shown as £325,000 plus vat. The Agents are still hoping for more than last year’s offer of £218,000. The building has deteriorated considerably since that offer was made and their experience of marketing the property in the interim leads one to hope that they will be more realistic this time around.

Pending the result of a detailed survey, it is estimated that we will need an additional sum of up to £400,000 to cover all costs to reopen as a pub, assuming that we successfully bid for maximum grant funding of £250,000.

Limpley Stoke Community Benefit Society Ltd or LSCBS

The LSCBS will issue up to 400,000 £1 shares, subject to a minimum purchase of 200 shares and a maximum of 25,000 per shareholder.

The identity of shareholders will be known, but the number of shares held by each will remain strictly confidential. To ensure there is equity amongst shareholders in running the Society, each Shareholding
(as opposed to each Share), will have one vote.

Once the premises are let and running as a successful business, it is aimed to pay shareholders interest on their investment at a rate to be agreed, but hoped to be around 2.5%pa. Details will all be
set out in a prospectus at the appropriate time and to include rules around repayment of shares if contributors move, die, or have a change of heart.

Time is short and crucially we need to hear from as many people as possible with confirmation of their willingness, in principle, to buy shares in the “LSCBS”. If there is sufficient interest we can then form the necessary steering group to move things forward.

Please send expressions of support to limpleystokecbs@gmail.com
Questions, comments or any ideas at all that you think would help the project and any relevant skills that you can offer would be very helpful.

It goes without saying that unless the residents of Limpley Stoke and beyond are interested and prepared to support this plan, we will very definitely lose our pub.

LSCBS News

Volunteer party

The management team hosted a party to thank our army of amazing volunteers

We're open and can't wait to see you!!

To browse the menu, book a table or community room please click on www.hoppoleinn.uk To see ITV's coverage of our opening please click on ITV Hop Pole News

Grand Opening!

The Hop Pole Inn reopens this Saturday 25th January at 4pm!

Volunteers wanted for Late Summer Shindig, 22nd September

Late Summer Shindig, Sunday 22nd September : volunteers wanted!

Hop Pole news August '24

Key September dates : Notice of Annual General Meeting, 18th Sept

ITV West Country news story about Daahir Mohamed using traditional plastering skills and training a team of refugees

Sharing vital skills to keep the pub project moving forward

Save the Hop Pole Summer Party & Auction

Hop Pole Summer Extravaganza, 23rd August

Hop Pole News: July 2024

Save The Hop Pole July '24: all the latest news and progress updates

Book your place on our Sneak a Peek Tours

Sneak a Peek Tours: places booking up fast!

We're hiring!

Unique tenancy opportunity

Hop Pole News: May 2024

All the latest news: progress, funding & events

Not to be missed opportunity : bid now for last minute rugby & concert tickets!

Hop Pole News: Your chance to bid for two fantastic prizes!

Hop Pole News: April 2024

Hop Pole News: With your help our goal is in sight

Hop Pole News: March 2024

Hop Pole News: With your help our goal is in sight

Telling the story of our community

New stunning video telling the story of our brilliant community

Our campaign makes the news again!

We made the local ITV news again

Hop Pole News: February 2024

Funding success : volunteers now needed!

Hop Pole News: January 2024 part 2

Nearly there...and a one-off matched funding opportunity!

Sing along with the Limpley Strokes!

Another great reason to donate towards our campaign!

Hop Pole News: January 2024

Hop Pole News: Funding & planning update

Hop Pole News: December 2023

Hop Pole News: we've hit another fundraising milestone!

Our campaign makes ITV news!

Our campaign hits the screen!

Hop Pole News: November 2023

Hop Pole News: The scaffolding is off - let's keep pushing forward!

Hop Pole News: October 2023

Hop Pole News: AGM summary & second share issue released

Hop Pole News: September 2023

Hop Pole News: AGM amended date & progress updates

Contractor Opportunities

Contractor opportunities : September 2023

Building Update : And we're underway!

Latest progress update: 13th July 2023

Full steam ahead : clearing & prepping

Latest progress update: 22nd May 2023

Hop Pole News: April 2023

Save the Hop Pole update, April 2023

Hop Pole News: March 2023

Save the Hop Pole update, March 2023

Extraordinary General Meeting : 29th March

Date for your diary : EGM on Wednesday 29th March

Hop Pole News: January 2023

Save the Hop Pole update, January 2023

Hop Pole News: December 2022

Save the Hop Pole update, December 2022

Save the Hop Pole Funding Update

Hop Pole Funding Update : We got it!

Hop Pole News: Newsletter 2022

Save the Hop Pole update, November 2022

Hop Pole News: October 2022 AGM Review

Save the Hop Pole - Phase 2 : October 2022 AGM Review

Annual General Meeting Agenda

Annual General Meeting : Monday, 24th October 2022

Hop Pole Christmas Fair : Thursday 1st December 2022

Hop Pole Christmas Fair: Thursday 1st December, 4pm - 9pm

Hop Pole News: September 2022

Save the Hop Pole - Phase 2 : September 2022 newsletter

Hop Pole News: August 2022

To browse the menu, book a table or community room please click on www.hoppoleinn.uk

To see ITV's coverage of our opening please click on ITV Hop Pole News