Share offer could help to save village’s historic pub

VILLAGE residents are on a mission to save their pub.

- OLIVIER VERGNAULT

Villagers are hoping to buy the Stag Hunt Inn in Ponsanooth

The Stag Hunt Inn in Ponsanooth, between Truro and Falmouth, dates back to the early 1800s and sits at the heart of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site, closely linked to the village's Kennall Vale gunpowder works.

For decades it has served as a meeting point for neighbours, families and social groups, but has now been threatened with closure.

Local people have set up the Ponsanooth Community Benefit Society (PCBS) and launched a share offer with the aim of raising at least £300,000 to buy the freehold.

The minimum investment has been set at £100, with every shareholder becoming a member of the PCBS and gaining an equal vote in how the pub is run.

Investments will receive a competitive rate of interest, says the PCBS, and may also qualify for substantial tax relief.