A PUB on the cusp of North Yorkshire, Cumbria and Lancashire could be owned by its community if it successfully raises the hundreds of thousands of pounds needed.
The Punch Bowl, in Burton in Lonsdale, closed its doors in February this year and was placed on sale on the open market.
A group of villagers formed a community benefit society and started to campaign.
'A massive amount of effort' went into putting an application for a grant from the Government's Levelling Up Fund but the group was stymied by the announcement of the General Election.
'For the moment this vital funding opportunity is on hold, the outcome, unknown,' a spokesperson from the group said.
The group put five months of work into the launch of the share offer. "Initially, £275,000 is needed just to buy the Punch Bowl but much work is needed to bring about its transformation into not just a pub but a pub for the community," they said.
In total, the group is looking to raise an optimal sum of £445,000 and a maximum of £495,000 to bring about The Punch Bowl's 'complete renovation and breathe new life into this invaluable village asset.'
"Too many rural communities are dying because of the loss of such vital community facilities and Burton does not wish to be just one more village without a successful pub at its heart," the spokesperson added.
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