THE CONSORTIUM of Edington villagers that has clubbed together to buy the village’s only remaining pub is now hopeful that The Lamb will be saved.
Around 60 residents had formed a company with the objective of buying and running the pub, which has been closed since the end of July, to prevent the possibility of losing it to developers.
Despite being told that of three bids submitted for The Lamb theirs is the lowest, the villagers have learned that all the bids are to run The Lamb as a public house.
Mike Davies, chairman of the consortium said, “By close of play on Friday [13th November], there were three offers on the table, including ours, all of which are, allegedly, to buy and run The Lamb as a pub. Ours, we were told, was the lowest bid, albeit a carefully selected one, in line with our extensive research and aligned to our detailed business plan.”
“As our offer is aligned to the business plan, and the other two offers are to run The Lamb as a pub, there is no reason for us to up our bid. As such, we currently do not expect to be successful in the purchase, although obviously we might get a surprise!”
“Many thanks to all in Edington who have supported this endeavour, I think we can say that our objective is on track to be met and thus far we have been successful – maintaining The Lamb as a pub for village use was always our driving force and prime objective.”
Mike pointed out however that the future of the pub was not yet certain, and that the consortium would continue as a potential buyer in case any of the other offers be withdrawn, or change.
He added, “Any suggestion of change of use will continue to be fought very strongly from the village who are confident of their ability to purchase and run The Lamb as a pub should the opportunity arise.”
A decision regarding the offers is expected by the end of the month.
The villagers have campaigned extensively to keep the pub open, saying they regard it as the social heart of Edington, and essential to village life.
As well as being a place for villagers to socialise, The Lamb held coffee mornings for senior citizens and was heavily involved in organising and laying on village events, including the popular Edington music festival.
Mike said that village life had not been the same since The Lamb closed its doors in July.
On Friday 13th November the villagers were able to get together for a ‘Lamb at the Three Horseshoes’ evening in the Chapmanslade pub.
Mike said, “Ashley Hunt, the landlord of the Three Horseshoes, kindly laid on shuttle minibuses to get people from Edington to Chapmanslade to enjoy an evening together, the likes of which has not been possible since The Lamb closed.
“A great night was had and everyone enjoyed the opportunity to catch up – it was apparent that many had not seen each other since the pub had closed.
“As a result of this night, a follow up has been planned in the run up to Christmas to maintain the village interaction until our pub re-opens.”
Anyone in the village interesting in attending any future events should contact Mike Davies on – thelambatedington@yahoo.co.uk.
