The Black Horse Community Group in Melton, a Community Benefit Society (CBS), has successfully bid for a share of the Government’s Community Ownership Fund and will be awarded £245,395 in funding.
The group bid to buy The Black Horse Pub in Grimston and to continue its original use as a community pub.
The £150 million Community Ownership Fund was launched by the Government to help community groups buy or renovate assets that would otherwise be lost to the community. The first bidding round for the Fund launched in Summer 2021 and is open to community groups to bid for up to £250,000 matched-funding.
The Government’s Community Ownership Fund is designed to ensure that important parts of the social fabric, such as pubs, sports clubs, theatres and post office buildings, can continue to play a central role in towns and villages across the UK. This Fund is part of the Government’s levelling up agenda, with funding weighted towards places where community assets will have the biggest impact.
Alicia Kearns MP, Member of Parliament for Rutland and Melton said:
“I am so pleased to hear that the Black Horse Community Group’s bid for a share of the Government’s Community Ownership Fund was a success! After meeting the team and supporting the bid by raising it with the Government, I know how much this 400-year-old pub means to the community as a whole, and the surrounding villages. I would like to congratulate the group for all their hard work and community spirit that has made this possible. I very much look forward to visiting the Black Horse once it is back up and running and I wish the pub all the best for the future.”
Mike Petty, Chair of The Black Horse Community Group Ltd said:
“News that we have been awarded a Community Ownership Fund grant is a fantastic Christmas present for the parish of Grimston, Saxelbye & Shoby, our wider community and the Black Horse Community Group shareholders, who have financially backed this project and so keenly believe in saving our village pub. We are very grateful for having this great opportunity to secure The Black Horse pub for this and future generations.”
