A village boozer has been bought by a pub company after a community campaign failed to save it from closure.

Villagers led by Leanne Charlett tried to raise £425,000 to buy the Red Lion in Yarnton after it shut due to the cost of living crisis.

Oak Taverns has now bought the pub from Admiral Taverns and the new owners have said they are trying to reopen the pub before Christmas.

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This follows Oak Taverns buying The Sun in Wheatley at the end of last year and the Crown in Marcham, which reopened at the end of September having been closed for over a year.

This brings the company's total to 10 in Oxfordshire and 16 overall, all of which concentrate on real ale.

Most of them welcome independent food vans which park outside at busier times although the food menus are limited inside.

Oxford Mail: Leanne CharlettDave Richardson, of the Oxford branch of CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale), said: "We really welcome Oak Taverns taking over as it's a local, family-run, independent company which puts the interests of local communities and its staff at the heart of everything it does.

"We have run minibus tours to most of its pubs in the last few months and we are very impressed.

"We sympathise with the villagers who wanted to buy it but they can rest assured that the Red Lion is in good hands."

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Thame-based Oak Taverns also operates the Cross Keys in Thame, the Cross Keys in Wallingford, the Red Lion in Chinnor, the Angel in Bicester, the Kings Arms in Wantage, the Swan in Faringdon and the George in Sutton Courtenay.

Among its other pubs, all in southern England, are the Rising Sun in Haddenham, the Bird in Hand in Princes Risborough and the Greyhound in Whitchurch, near Reading.

Oxford Mail: The Red Lion pub in YarntonManaging director Simon Collinson, whose father Ian founded the business in 1991, said: “We have completed the purchase and will move heaven and earth to get the pub ready to open before Christmas, although the garden will have to wait until spring.

"We have kept in touch with the community group, and when their plans didn’t come to fruition we were happy to step in.

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"All the villagers really want is for the Red Lion to continue as a pub, not a private house. We are a pub company committed to running pubs and we’ve been doing that for over 30 years.”

The Oak Taverns pubs were visited on two Oxford CAMRA minibus tours earlier this year.

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About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning. 

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