Once in a Generation
Opportunity
Marsh Gibbon Community Pub
Our vision
Please take a moment to read the following as what it contains could have a profound and long-lasting positive impact on our village. Our aim is to make The Greyhound Inn a focal point for the community to be able to come together in a safe, warm and welcoming environment. A pub that provides facilities, services, events and a character that the village can be truly proud of. Maintaining the current links with the Friendly Society, the Village Hall whilst forging new relationships with groups and individuals in the village are key drivers for the success of this project. The following people Jerry, Paul, Richard, Chris, Lesley, Darren, James, David and Will (with a large dose of help from the community in Marsh Gibbon) proposes to fundraise enough money to acquire, carry out initial works and provide the start up working capital to run The Greyhound Inn as a Community Owned Public House.
This working group is busy formulating a plan to bring The Greyhound Inn Public House back to its former glory. The Greyhound Inn is the ideal choice for a whole host of reasons including its strong ties to the community, a strong reputation outside the village amongst people who live close by, its potential for the outbuildings to be used for community related ventures and of course the links to the Friendly Society. Get to know this group a bit better here.
It is proposed that The Greyhound Inn will be a real ale pub offering a varied range of ales with a focus on the strong microbreweries that can be found close by. The pub will also eventually offer well cooked, well presented and where possible locally sourced pub grub produced by the live in Chef Manager. Value for money will underpin all that we strive to achieve. ‘Special’ themed evenings, quiz nights, sporting event viewing, private hire, music and outdoor events will all form important entries in the pubs social calendar.
In addition to its role as a village pub it is proposed that in due course the plan would be to potentially expand and incorporate perhaps a café and a small shop that could provide basic supplies to village residents, the wider local community, and visitors of all ages. Several other initiatives will be considered which will all be driven by the wants and needs of you the locals! These will all of course, be dependent on trading conditions generating us the funds to make all our plans happen!
What is a community pub?
In recent years there has been a significant growth in the number of community owned pubs, The Greyhound Inn will not be the first venture of this type or indeed the last. There are over 70 such pubs operating in the UK and each one has been set up in a manner that best fits with the local community.
Community pubs have an open and voluntary membership, giving members part ownership of the community business. Community pubs actively encourage individuals from their community to become members by purchasing membership shares, the cost of which are set at an accessible level that the majority of the community will be able to afford. Community pubs are set up on a ‘one member one vote’ basis rather than ‘one share one vote’. This means that all members have an equal say in how they want their local pub to be run, regardless of the number of shares they purchase.
How are we funding it?
This is the second part of our request for support. The main funding is expected to be generated through the sale of shares in a Community Benefit Society. The value of shares and maximum and minimum holdings have yet to be finalised, but each member will have an equal vote in the society irrespective of their shareholding, this follows the key Society principle of ‘one Member, one Vote’.
We know that many of the villagers have links to friends and family in other areas and we would welcome their contribution with open arms. We feel that the opportunity to purchase shares in a traditional English village pub with a history stretching back hundreds of years will appeal to many people
This kind of venture has been successfully achieved in other communities all over the UK and most of these have been set up with the support of the charity Plunkett Foundation. Will our community be the next one? If you wish to speak directly to one of the team about this project, please contact one of the following:
-
Jerry Taylor
07718 652890
jptaylr1973@gmail.com -
Paul Symonds
07769 905298
psymondship62@aol.com
Who are we?
The Steering Group members who have established the project come from a variety of backgrounds and have a range of relevant experience, skills, and reasons for volunteering, not least of all a passion for a great pub to meet and enjoy together with friends. A summary of who is currently involved is detailed here:
Darren Bell
Darren Bell
I have been proud to call Marsh Gibbon home since 2004 and relish the opportunity of being part of a team dedicated to restoring The Greyhound Pub to its former glory and giving families like mine a place eat, drink and enjoy.
During my career I have designed several bars and restaurants, worked behind the bar in some (and drank in front of the bar in many) and look forward to applying my design knowledge, experience, and expertise to this exciting project.
Chris Colclough
Chris Colclough
I moved to the village in January 2020, but have been connected to Marsh Gibbon for nearly eight years whilst my children attended childcare, nursery and now school here I am a partner at an international law firm, specialising in the acquisition of businesses, and I bring legal expertise to the establishment of the community benefit society and the acquisition of the pub site and preparation for trading. I am looking forward to a family-friendly community pub serving food and a decent ale.
Richard Cross
Richard Cross
I was born and raised in Marsh Gibbon and still love living in the village with my wife and daughter. I recently became a parish councillor and have been a member on various other committees over the past 10 years. I am also in the Marsh Gibbon Friendly Society. Over the last 20+ years I have spent many hours in both pubs and working with the community I want to make sure that the Pub is there for all the village to enjoy!
James Dodd
James Dodd
I live in West Edge and have been involved with the Marsh Gibbon community for over 10 years. I am probably best known for my regular musical contributions to village music nights and events. For ‘the day job’ I currently work as Head of Library Systems at Oxford University, backed by 20+ year experience in Project Management and Operational leadership roles.
In short, whether at work or on stage, I would like to think I bring people together to get stuff done and can think of nothing better than getting to apply this experience to a community venture in Marsh Gibbon.
David Ellis
David Ellis
I moved to Marsh Gibbon in April 2019 from Lincolnshire. I was leaving the RAF, starting a new career with British Airways, and my wife Trish was pregnant with our second daughter. After the initial viewing of our potential new home, I went to the pub, and got chatting with some of the regulars. I was made to feel welcome, and I immediately sensed the strong community here. This is particularly important to me, as I spend a lot of time away with work, and I want Trish to feel that she can rely on the support of the community when I am away.
I believe a village pub, now more than ever, should be more than a drinking venue, and I’m excited by what the future of this project holds for Marsh Gibbon and its community.
Will Lambourne
Will Lambourne
I come from a dairy farming family who have been part of the village for over 100 years, I am now the 4th generation working on the farm full time. I have loved living and growing up in Marsh Gibbon and I feel our village would benefit hugely from a community pub giving the village not only the obvious benefits but also providing another centre for the village community to grow. I’m excited to be involved in this project especially as it has huge potential in making the community stronger and will have a positive impact on generations to come.
Paul Symonds
Paul Symonds
I have lived in the village for over 12 years now and I own a building and maintenance business based in Marsh Gibbon, I am also in the Marsh Gibbon friendly society, the meetings of which are held at the Greyhound every quarter.
Over the last 12 months the community has become an even more tightly Knit unit, in very trying circumstances, Having the Greyhound as a community pub, in my view can only enhance that spirit. I look forward to meeting you all at one, or all of the proposed themed events.
Jerry Taylor
Jerry Taylor
I moved to the village in August 2015 with my wife Lesley, after falling in love with our house and the village at first sight. I have been overwhelmed by the friendliness and welcoming nature of the whole community in Marsh Gibbon, and I am a proud new member of the Friendly Society. Most weekends I can be found out and about on one of a variety of two wheeled forms of transportation.
I have worked in the advertising and media industry for over 25 years and currently run an advertising agency in Milton Keynes and I can’t wait to add my skills in delivering advertising, marketing, and communications solutions to the community pub venture and be able to enjoy a pint of Guinness watching the rugby surrounded by friends.
Lesley Taylor
Lesley Taylor
I moved to Marsh Gibbon with my husband Jerry in August 2015. We wanted to move away from the London commuter belt to a village location where we could feel part of a community. We knew the area but not Marsh Gibbon itself and we couldn’t have made a better choice, we’ve made some great friends here and feel right at home.
I have set up, grown, and successfully sold businesses in the past and have been working in the recruitment industry for more than 20 years. This venture is something we all feel passionately about and I hope I can use my business skills to contribute to the village building a successful community pub venture.