---
title: "Somerset villagers raise £111,000 to buy back their closed 200-year-old pub"
canonical: https://smallgoodthings.org/stories/uk-curry-mallet-bell-inn-community-pub-2026/
sourceName: "Morning Advertiser"
sourceUrl: "https://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/Article/2026/03/09/community-campaign-launched-to-save-the-bell-in-curry-mallet/"
datePublished: 2026-03-09
---

# Somerset villagers raise £111,000 to buy back their closed 200-year-old pub

Residents of Curry Mallet and Beercrocombe in Somerset have raised around £111,000 toward a £260,000 target to buy and reopen The Bell Inn, a 200-year-old pub that closed in March 2025. The Morning Advertiser reported the community, through the Curry Mallet and Beercrocombe Community Pub Ltd society, has around 107 shareholders and is running a Crowdfunder campaign for the remaining amount.

## What is the background?
The Bell Inn served Curry Mallet and neighbouring Beercrocombe in Somerset for 200 years before closing in March 2025. **Community pub Somerset** campaigns like this one have become more common as rural pubs close nationally, with 161 pubs closing in England and Wales in the first three months of 2026 alone — nearly two a day.

## What happened?
Villagers from Curry Mallet and Beercrocombe set up the Curry Mallet and Beercrocombe Community Pub Ltd, a community benefit society, to raise the funds needed to buy and reopen The Bell Inn. A Community Share Offer has raised around £103,000, bringing the total raised toward the £260,000 target to approximately £111,000, with around 107 shareholders taking part.

The group is now running a Crowdfunder campaign with a current phase goal of £60,000 to help close the remaining gap.

## How did it happen?
Chris Dale, a Community Benefit Society representative involved with the campaign since 2024, said "the loss of pubs is a loss of our culture and heritage," describing The Bell as having been "the beating heart" of the two communities. The society follows model rules developed by Plunkett UK and is registered with the Financial Conduct Authority, meaning the pub will be owned collectively by its members once purchased, run solely for the benefit of the wider community.

The pub itself needs only cosmetic refreshing rather than major building work, which keeps the total funding target lower than a full renovation would require. The campaign has had to raise the money without support from the government's Community Ownership Fund, which is no longer available, making the fundraising task harder than for earlier community pub campaigns.

## Why does it matter?
A community benefit society structure means The Bell, once bought, cannot be resold for private profit or converted to another use against residents' wishes, since it is owned by its members and run under rules specifically designed to keep it serving the community. That protection is different from a normal private pub purchase, which could close again in future if a new owner decided to sell or repurpose the site.

With 161 pubs closing nationally in just the first three months of 2026, a successful community buyout in Curry Mallet offers a working example other villages facing the same threat can copy — the model rules and FCA registration process are already established and repeatable.

## What were the key results?
- The Bell Inn closed in March 2025 after 200 years serving the village
- £111,000 raised so far toward a £260,000 purchase and reopening target
- Community Share Offer alone raised approximately £103,000
- Around 107 shareholders have joined the community benefit society
- Current Crowdfunder campaign phase target: £60,000
- Society registered with the Financial Conduct Authority under Plunkett UK model rules
- 161 pubs closed across England and Wales in the first three months of 2026 alone

## What happens next?
The Curry Mallet and Beercrocombe Community Pub Ltd plans to present its case for purchasing The Bell once the £260,000 target is reached.

Organisers said they will continue the Crowdfunder campaign until the remaining funding gap is closed.

The society intends to reopen The Bell as a community hub hosting local clubs and organisations once the purchase completes.

Other villages facing pub closures are expected to look to Curry Mallet's community benefit society model as a reference for their own campaigns.

Primary source: [Morning Advertiser](https://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/Article/2026/03/09/community-campaign-launched-to-save-the-bell-in-curry-mallet/)