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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/pubs/8739561/The-village-that-saved-its-pub.html

I have just read this article and it made me think about our own pub in the village - The White Lion.

Once again the pub has changed hands and is now up for sale, how long before it is finally changed into a private dwelling or something other than a pub. I don't know much about the history of the pub, but wouldn't it be a shame if it was no more.

I tried to find some comments or discussion on this forum and in the SAL about the White Lion, but couldn't find anything. What does everyone else think about it?

With kind regards

Sarah Packer

An interesting read. Not sure I "get" the Big Society thing, other than it seems to be a way for the government to offload public services to the community. However, it does show that if a population pulls together then a valuable focus of the village is not lost forever. It also shows that this can be done without exposing the individuals to massive financial risk. One of the interesting points of the story is that the village in question set out to raise 300,000 (the current asking price for the White Lion in SA) but the brewery settled for 220,000, which ironically is what Dave (the previous landlord) said he thought the business was actually worth.

I would take exception with the title of this thread: White Lion RIP. I think it's a bit soon to say that. Mark and Lorraine seem keen to make a go of the pub and have an open day this Saturday (17th Sep) at 18:00. The White Lion still exists and I hope it will for many years to come. I am new to this village, but I am keenly aware of how the closure of this pub would impact the residents of Steeple Aston.

At the moment, The White Lion is a pub. Hopefully it will stay that way, however Admiral Taverns have seen a lot of financial problems (last Feb they reduced 250 of their pubs by 20%) and from what I've read they need to shed a good deal of their empire if they are to survive the full blown recession we now find ourselves in. Ironically they are, at least in part, owned by the Lloyds Banking group!

Hi Paul

Thank you for your response.

I understand your dislike for the title, I did it to provoke some sort of reaction to get a discussion going, and hope we never have to see it for real. I have heard all good about the new family and think it is a fantastic idea for the open day on Saturday. It is great they are keen and what a fun way to bring the village community together, it is much needed. I do hope they manage to make a real go of it. Let's hope the population pull together on Saturday...

with kind regards

Sarah










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