Northumberland villagers' dream of reopening pub takes step forward with £130,000 raised

Residents of a village on Hadrian's Wall are one step closer to getting their beloved pub back after raising £130,000.

The Samson Inn in Gilsland, on the border of Northumberland and Cumbria, has been closed since 2022 after the current owners decided to cease operating. However, a group of residents hope they can reopen the inn in the coming months, and have reached a major milestone in their efforts.

Gilsland Community Benefit Society has surpassed £130,000 in share pledges from 365 donors, which enables them to put in an application to the Community Ownership Fund, a Government Levelling up initiative worth a total of £150 million over four years. Initially, the target had been to raise £160,000 so as to raise 50% of the pub's value in share pledges, but the society is able to go ahead with 40%, applying for the other 60% from the fund.

• Read more: Northumberland inn to reopen for first time since 2015 as café and pub

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Residents have been tracking their progress with a beer-o-meter on the side of the Samson, and are delighted to be closer to bringing back the pub's second village. Jane McDaid, of the Gilsland Community Benefit Society, said: "It's fantastic, and everybody's so excited.

"It's amazing, the whole of the village is talking about it. Now, we just have to cross our fingers and hope our bid is successful.

"We wouldn't have made it this far without all the publications getting involved and everybody getting behind it. It's been phenomenal and we're really, really excited."

Despite raising their initial target, the group are still accepting pledges and Jane says that they are still coming in. However, the amount is currently frozen at £132,500 while the group submit their application to the Community Ownership Fund, with the deadline on January 31.

The plan is for The Samson to serve food in the evenings, as the existing Bridge Inn is a drinks-only pub, and the local café House of Meg closes at 3pm. Jane continued: "There's always been room for two pubs in the village, there used to be four at one time.

The Bridge doesn't do food, but we intend to at the Samson. They can sit very happily together as they've always done."

It is hoped that offering food will not just benefit Gilsland locals, but also to entice Hadrian's Wall walkers to the village, and boost numbers for nearby B&Bs and accommodation providers. If the bid is successful, there are hopes that pints will be poured by "April or May" at the Samson, and plans are getting under way to find a tenant to run the pub.

The Samson could join the likes of the Fishers Arms in Horncliffe and a handful of community pubs in the county, while residents of Ulgham hope they will be able to reopen the Forge Inn as a community pub.