A COMMUNITY in North Northumberland has ‘retained the identity of the village’ with the purchase of its pub.

The Gun in Ridsdale, which was bought by the Ridsdale Community Group Ltd in May 2020, initially opened as a pub last August but work has since been done to enable the building to work as a community hub.

A refurbishment programme was initially anticipated to be completed in three phases over two to three years, but all phases have been completed in the first few months of 2021 – including the completion of four bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms.

It’s estimated by John Bassett, chairman of Ridsdale Community Group, that over 14,000 volunteer hours were put into the refurbishment of the pub.

There are plans to add several amenities to benefit the local community, including access to Wi-Fi and laptops for local families, a book exchange, and even a delivery point for logistics companies. After consulting residents, the Gun added a coffee shop which will be open through the day from 10am – 4pm.

John said: “The Gun is more community led than it would be if it operated solely as a pub. It is the very last amenity that we have in the village. We used to have a post office and a garage, but they’re gone now.”

John continued: “The nearest village to Ridsdale is West Woodburn which is over 2 miles away and that’s not convenient. The village felt we wanted our own identity. If we hadn’t bought the pub, Ridsdale would just be a hamlet with no identity, whereas now we’ve got that.

“All functions such as children’s Halloween parties and Christmas dinners for senior citizens in Ridsdale have been held at the Gun, and that will continue to be the case now it has been retained by the community.”

The Gun was thrust into the public eye when it featured in the popular ITV detective drama Vera. Ann Cleeves, author of the Vera series, shared the Gun’s story on her Facebook which led to pledges to its Crowdfunding page from all over the world, ensuring that the community group were able to purchase the pub.

John expects that the Gun will not only be vital for the community, but a way to bring tourism to the village. He said: “We’re hoping for a very successful summer. The idea is now to actually get the GUn up and running, serve good food, be one of the best places in the area for accommodation, and to stabilise trading over the summer months. We’ve got a tremendous panoramic view of the Cheviot Hills which together with the village pub atmosphere is one of our best selling points.”

The Gun at Ridsdale is not the first community owned pub in Northumberland. The Crown Inn at Humshaugh was taken over by Humshaugh Community Ventures alongside the village shop in 2010, though it has recently been sold on to private owner David Harding. The Rose and Crown at Slaley continues to be community owned and has been featured in the Guardian Travel as one of the 50 best pubs in Britain.

The Hexham Courant also reported last week that residents of Mount Pleasant, Mickley, have vowed to save their local pub The Blue Bell, with plans to open the new Stables Bar amid interest in the site from developers.

The Gun at Ridsdale is aiming to reopen when lockdown restrictions are lifted further on May 17 2021. It will be offering full service of the coffee shop, bar, restaurant, and accommodation under manager Alan Reid.