Eighties legend Tony Hadley is helping to launch a community bid to save a village pub.

Residents of Ashendon near the Oxfordshire border are uniting to save their historic village pub through community ownership.

And they are delighted to have the former Spandau Ballet singer supporting their bid to save The Hundred of Ashendon.

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The Ashendon Community Pub Society Limited (ACPS) has launched its Community Share Offer inviting its community and anyone else who cares about preserving rural communities and the 300-year-old pub, to purchase shares to become a member of the community benefit society and a co-owner of the pub.

The launch was well attended by Ashendon village residents and by residents from surrounding communities, including singer, Tony Hadley, a local supporter of the ‘Save the Ashendon Pub’ campaign, who promised to come and sing at the pub’s opening night.

Commenting on why people may want to invest in The Society, Luke Jamieson, chairman of ACPS, said: “By becoming a co-owner, shareholders will save this historically significant pub from being lost forever.

(Image: The Hundred of Ashendon) "They help recreate a welcoming space for dining, socialising and community events, help maintain intervillage connectivity, and the residential desirability of the area.

"They may also potentially earn interest on their investment after three years, subject to surplus income and terms. We hope people will join us in making local history.”

In April, the society was awarded government Community Ownership Funding and Revenue Funding amounting to £300,000.

Through this share offer, The Society now needs to raise a further £300,000 over the next six weeks to be able to acquire, renovate, and reopen the pub.

It has already received pledges to a total of £168,800 and hopes the wider community and local businesses will come forward to pledge whatever they can to ensure success.

A Community Benefit Society is a legal organisation registered with the Financial Conduct Authority. Investments are primarily social value investments.

The Ashendon Community Pub Society, grounded in an inclusive community-focused vision for the pub, is welcoming anyone over the age of 18 to buy shares with a minimum investment of only £100.

Shares can also be bought as gifts or on behalf on children.

(Image: Ashendon Community Pub Society Ltd) The Share Offer closes on August 4.

The society has published a Share Offer Prospectus that provides information to help interested parties decide whether to become a co-owner of the pub.

The prospectus, along with comprehensive information about the business plan, can be found at www.ashendoncps.com.

The pub in Ashendon has been a part of the Buckinghamshire village for over 300 years and has played a critical role within the local community.

The pub, known as The Hundred of Ashendon, closed over a year ago, and without it, residents of Ashendon and its surrounding villages are feeling disconnected.

The village is rural without services that typically provide connectivity or interaction: There’s no shop, café or school. The bus service is very limited with only one bus twice a week. And even fast-food delivery services are not available. 

Neighbouring villages of Westcott, Winchendon, Wotton Underwood, Chilton or Dorton are also without a pub and they have made Ashendon pub their ‘local’ for many years.

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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. 

You can also read his weekly Traffic and Transport newsletter.