VILLAGERS who lost their only pub despite a spirited campaign are raising a glass this week after opening their own local in a former chapel.
Residents in Boldron fought in vain to stop the George and Dragon being turned into a house last year, arguing that it was a vital part of village life.
Sad to see its closure, they decided to form their own company and set up a members’ club so the community can enjoy social evenings and a pint of beer or glass of wine.
They are celebrating this week after a year’s hard work paid off with the granting of a premises licence.
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The Pinfold Club, as it is known, is based in a former Methodist chapel, in the centre of Boldron. The founding members worked tirelessly to renovate the chapel into a cosy and welcoming club.
The bar has been salvaged from the old pub and there are several beers on tap, as well as all the things you’d expect from a village local, including a kitchen and regular meal nights.
Nicky Carter, club membership secretary, said: “We all frequented the George and Dragon but it was shut despite us trying to get it listed as a community asset, so we decided to form our own. This place was just an empty shell when we took it on.”
Chris and Julie Kearton had bought the old chapel with the aim of turning it into a house. But they recognised the village’s need and offered the building on a “very favourable rent” .
Club chairman and village resident Dr Philip Ryan said: “It has been a long but rather enjoyable experience. Although we haven’t been actively seeking members while we have been renovating and getting all the necessary permits in place, the support from the local community has been overwhelming and we already have just short of 100 members.”
The name of the venue is a nod to the location’s distant past, when it was used as the village pinfold where stray animals were herded to and kept.
“It’s an apt name – we were like lost sheep without a village pub,” added Ms Carter.
Dr Ryan continued: “Now we have the premises licence we are planning on staging many more events. We already host a monthly quiz night, food nights twice a month and are hoping to have open mic evenings, family events as well as a summer barbecue.
“The level of support we have already experienced is fantastic. This is a venue run by volunteers for the community and it is great to see so many getting involved.”
The Pinfold Club already has a dominos team which competes in the local league and will be hosting the village quoits teams. Membership for the club has been kept to a nominal £2 per year to encourage lots of members to use the facility.
Ms Carter said: “We are now welcoming new club members to join.
“They can enjoy their favourite tipple from our fully stocked bar, sit by our cosy log burner or have a game of pool or darts.”
The club, which has been funded by loans and donations, is a limited company and run by small committees. It is organised so there will be no financial burden on members in the event of the venture not working out.
“Because we don’t have to do it for profit, we can keep the prices down,” added Ms Carter.
Resident Derek Harper said: “It’s a place where we can meet up – we’d never see each other if we didn’t have this.”
Residents have noted the irony that the club is based in a former Methodist chapel.
Dr Ryan joked: “On really quiet nights, you can hear them turn in their graves because they didn’t allow drinking.”
The Pinfold Club is open to members and guests on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 7pm. During domino and quoits seasons, the club is also open on Mondays.
For more information on The Pinfold Club or to join the club, email nicky@thepinfoldclub.co.uk
You can find The Pinfold Club on Facebook and there will be a website coming soon.
