Villagers who banded together to save their local pub in rural North Yorkshire have won a national award.
The Old Horn Inn in Spennithorne, near Leyburn, is the winner of the prestigious Pub Saving Award from the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra).
The pub, which is more than 200 years old, closed suddenly in 2022 with plans in to convert it into housing.
Villagers banded together to form the Old Horn Community Pub Society to protect the pub from this fate.
An epic campaign began to bring the Old Horn into community ownership, raising £180,000 from more than 140 investors in under two months. On 16 June 2023 the community became the proud owners of the Old Horn.
What followed was a mammoth renovation effort, involving a team of volunteers aged from teenagers to pensioners. Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak even visited to encourage the team’s endeavours.
The pub reopened to the public 21 May last year, putting the heart back into the village. It now hosts the village football, cricket, darts and dominoes teams, plus quiz nights, coffee mornings and a knit and natter group.
Camra’s pub saving award coordinator Paul Ainsworth said: “When a pub closes, it is incredibly hard to open the doors again, with many losing the battle to conversion or demolition.
“That is why these awards are so important, the hard work and dedication shown by these campaigns to save local pubs deserve recognition.
“They are all inspirational stories, that will hopefully encourage more pub saving campaigns, so future generations can enjoy the wonderful sense of community that only a pub can provide.
“2024 marked the one-year anniversary of the wanton destruction of the Crooked House pub in Himley, serving as a grim reminder that pubs in the wrong hands can sadly disappear. January is a tough time for pubs, so please make sure to support your local and seek out beautiful heritage pubs across the UK.”
The Old Horn Inn will be presented with the award at an event early this year.