ALMOST a quarter of a million pounds has been raised by a community group looking to save their village pub.

Plough Ahead, the campaign group hoping to generate enough funds to save the Plough Inn, in Longparish, launched a share offer scheme to help with its efforts.

The aim was to raise at least £230,000 to contribute to the cause, and so far it has generated £225,000 – almost 98 per cent of the initial goal.

Andy Jolliffe, who heads up the Plough Ahead group, said: “The response to the share offer has been extremely encouraging. We are very close to our target, which is amazing.

“For anyone out there who likes the idea of owning a share of a pub business, it’s not too late to subscribe. The minimum investment is £50, which is ten shares.

“We want as many people as possible to be involved. As long as you’re over 18, you can become a shareholder.”

Almost two hundred people from the village – and many from further afield too – have now subscribed to the share offer set up to raise the money.

The offering has been extended until Saturday, August 8, in a bid to help the group edge over the line and raise that final £5,000 to contribute to the total.

The Share Offer is an opportunity for anyone – not just Longparish residents – to buy shares in the future of the Plough Inn, which has been shut since December 2015, and help create a community run pub and café with accommodation.

The total funding required for the project is £630,000, which comprises the £230,000 share offering plus funding from the parish council, whose members last month unanimously approved a plan to apply for a £300,000 loan to help purchase the pub.

The final £100,000 will be from a grant and loan package from the Plunkett Foundation’s ‘More than A Pub’ programme.

For more information about the Plough share offer, and to find out how you can become part of the plans to buy and reopen The Plough, go to lcpl.org.uk.