A GROUP of people in Tisbury are seeking support for a campaign to take over their local pub.

A campaign launches on September 9, and is looking to raise £250,000 to take The South Western, an empty pub, into community ownership and run it as a community business.

It will run for four weeks.

Over 300 village residents have joined the Tisbury Community Benefit Society, the non-profit group that is spearheading the campaign.

Anyone interested in supporting the campaign is encouraged to visit tisburycbs.uk to learn more.

Martin Thomas, Chair of the Tisbury Community Benefit Society, said: “We’re inviting everyone in Tisbury and nearby villages to say ‘yes’ to a share in the South Western.

"We firmly believe that the future of The South Western should be in the hands of the village and its residents, today and tomorrow. By taking it into community ownership, we can be sure that it always serves our needs.”

The South Western sits immediately opposite Tisbury train station, and has been boarded up for over a year.

If the group succeeds in its plans, The South Western will reopen as a café, with space for pop-up restaurant nights.

It will also become home to a zero-plastic refill shop, where villagers will be able to shop for affordable staples such as rice and pasta, and a co-working space for local freelancers and startups.

Tor Hillier, vice-chair of the Tisbury Community Benefit Society, said: "The South Western has the potential to be a tremendous asset to the Tisbury community, both as an affordable and attractive place to eat, drink and socialise, and as a place to save the planet and build local businesses of the future."

The group plans to raise funds to buy the building from the current owner, a subsidiary of Heineken, through a community share offer and a mixture of grants and loans from social investors.

The minimum investment will be kept at £25 to ensure that as many people as possible can take part, although the group is "strongly encouraging those who can afford it" to "invest at least £250, in line with other similar community-owned asset takeovers".

The campaign is using a crowdfunding approach, in which money pledged will only be drawn down if the campaign hits its target of £250,000.

The campaign has already received the support of a number of local residents, including local business owners who see the value in increased footfall for Tisbury’s high street.