A SEVEN-year long community battle to reopen a village pub is coming to a head, with campaigners racing against time to secure enough money to buy the premises.

The Save Our Sun (SOS) campaign to reopen the Rising Sun in Woodcroft must show the Forest Council it has the financial backing next month to press ahead with a compulsory purchase.

Organisers say a community consultation meeting on Friday, June 15, at Tutshill Memorial Hall was packed with more than 100 people flocking to discuss the campaign’s plans to run it as a community hub.

And with £161,000 already pledged by villagers to help buy the Sun, they are appealing for supporters to push the figure towards the £250,000 mark by this Sunday (July 1).

Locals won community asset status for the premises after it closed in 2011, helping thwart developers’ plans to try and convert it into houses.

The building went on the market at the end of 2017, but the campaign’s offer to buy it was rejected by owner Worthy Developments, and SOS is now hoping to put the case to the council for a compulsory purchase to reopen it as a community hub pub.

SOS spokeswoman Michelle Hayes said it was now crunch time, because time would be called on the bid to reopen it if they couldn’t raise enough pledges.

“For the compulsory purchase to proceed, we need to demonstrate that there is the will in the community to save the pub and the community can raise the finances to buy it and refurbish it,” she said.

“Preliminary talks with the Forest Council with respect to them making a compulsory purchase on our behalf, suggest it is likely that our case will be presented to Cabinet in July.

“We need to raise £350,000 in total, but between £200,000 to £250,000 of this must be from community shares or donations for us to proceed.

“We need to reach this target by July 1, and since June 15 we have been pledged £161,000 along with some amazing offers of help with renovation, interior design and licensing.

“It’s great what a community can do when it comes together, but we need more pledges or donations if we are not to fall at the final hurdle.”

“We intend to run the pub under a community benefit society, with funds raised mainly by community shares, shortfalls made up by grants and loans, and with a manager running the pub on behalf of the community.

“This model is a not for profit co-operative, but can award interest to shareholders once the business is established and with some of the profits invested into the community.”

Individuals or businesses who want to offer support to the campaign, can visit https://therisingsunwoodcroft.wordpress.com or contact SOS at [email protected]