A community group in Kingsbarns, Fife, is urging supporters to buy shares that will help fund the creation of a ‘vibrant community-owned hub’ in the village’s pub, The Inn at Kingsbarns.
The inn itself is already community-owned, the building having been bought by the Kingsbarns Community Development Trust with support from both Scottish Land Fund grants and donations.
The KCDT has now launched its community share offer to raise £60,000 to contribute towards initial stock purchase, marketing and working capital.
The trust’s plan is to create a Kingsbarns Community Hub, preserving the inn’s historic functions as a pub, restaurant and accommodation, but also providing a new daytime café, basic shop provisions from the bar and, in the longer term, opening a dedicated community shop and larger restaurant.
The project is being supported by Community Shares Scotland, and the Plunkett Foundation, a charity that helps people set up community-owned businesses.
Supporters of the Kingsbarns project described it as part of a ‘growing trend’ for community-owned pubs. Recent research indicates that, as of January 2024, there were 174 community-owned pubs in the UK, in an emerging sub-sector that has grown by more than 60% over the last five years.
Co-chair of the KCDT, Sue Jenkins, said: “We are delighted that the Inn at Kingsbarns is now a community owned asset. It’s a brilliant opportunity to bring people together and provide much needed facilities for the community.
“In time, we’ll see the development of a shop, restaurant and cafe, all under the one roof, whilst retaining a great pub.
“We have been overwhelmed with support from the community and are thankful to Scottish Land Fund and Community Shares Scotland for their generosity and help on our journey.”
Local people purchasing a share in the community led venture will become a member of Kingsbarns Community Benefit Society and thereafter have a say in how the Hub is run.
The minimum investment for Kingsbarns residents is £25 (1 share). The minimum investment for non-residents is £50 (2 shares).
The Kingsbarns Community Benefit Society ‘aims but cannot guarantee’ to offer 4% interest from Year 5 (2028/29) and to start to offer share withdrawals from Year 6 (2029/30). In the longer term, surplus profit will be spent on community initiatives.
Since 2019, Community Shares Scotland has supported eight community pubs, with over £730,000 raised so far and a further 14 pubs in the pipeline.
Head of democratic finance at DTA Scotland, Morven Lyon, said: “The Scottish Community Pubs Partnership with the Plunkett Foundation has proven to be an invaluable programme of support for the ever-increasing community-owned pub network in Scotland.
“The programme, funded by the Scottish Government, has enabled groups to gain access to detailed advice, funding and peer to peer learning and perhaps most importantly, build confidence in their ambitions.
“The Kingsbarns Community Hub is a prime example of this, with the community share offer enabling the group to preserve the historic inn and expand their business offering.
“With 10 new early-stage pub groups emerging since the start of 2024, it’s clear that there is a growing desire in Scotland for community-owned pubs and the partnership has been able to facilitate this growth.”
Project manager at the Plunkett Foundation, Susie Middleton, added: “Working in partnership with Community Shares Scotland to support community pub groups across rural Scotland has ensured every group in the network has access to the best advice and guidance at the right time in their respective journeys.
“We are delighted to have seen the number of trading community pubs grow from four in 2021 to 11 today, whilst between September 2023 and March 2024 alone we welcomed 10 new pub groups into the network.
“We look forward to supporting these groups, offering them the opportunity to share ideas and experiences with others in the network and helping them to save much loved assets for the benefit of their communities.”
