A ‘PROUD and emotional’ community near Rugby is a step closer to restoring a beloved village pub which has been closed for more than a decade.
Pailton residents hope to restore the dilapidated White Lion – a Grade II-listed building which closed in 2014 – and turn it into a community hub, village shop, community gardens, an art exhibition centre, a cycle shed, a working brewhouse, a pub and restaurant.
An artist’s impression of how the completed hub will look.
Pailton Parish Council bought the 18th Century building in 2019, and last year was awarded more than £2million by The National Lottery Heritage Fund towards the project, which is backed by a network of local residents, businesses and community groups.
With planning permission now approved, organisers are now making a final push for funds – and are ‘closer than ever’ to breaking ground and beginning works on the project.
Tina Simpson, vice-chair of the council and leader of the Pailton Village Community Interest Company (CIC) which will run the hub, said: “It is very exciting to be getting so near to our dream becoming a reality. It makes all the hard work worthwhile.
“We are all totally passionate about it and are fully focused on bringing the building back to life as a vibrant community hub.
“The community hub is much needed in Pailton and will allow people to eat, drink, socialise, learn, play, shop, work, meet, volunteer all in the heart of the village.
“It will breathe new life into the village. Locals will no longer have to drive to shop, to enjoy a drink or a restaurant meal.
She said the project has attracted ‘fantastic’ community support from the beginning – with volunteers pitching in to clear the outside area, remove rubbish, run fundraising events, and host a recent event at Pailton Village Hall where villagers gathered to share memories about the former pub and explore local history.
She added: “We simply would not be able to do all this without our fabulous volunteers – a big thank you to them all.
“We would very much like to get the project started this summer, but it depends on funding, so please do consider supporting this wonderful project via crowd funding on our website.
“We would really appreciate any offers of help, no matter how small.”
Visit https://whitelionpailton.com for more information.
Visit www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/white-lion-pailton to donate.
