Lionhearted group: ‘We’re delighted Ickleton Lion pub is back in community hands’
Jonathan Ward, treasurer of the community group taking over the Ickleton Lion pub, writes for the Cambridge Independent.
Since last month’s column, there has been lots of exciting activity behind the scenes to finalise negotiations on our purchase of the Ickleton Lion. We’re delighted to share the news that on Friday, 22 December we completed the purchase!
What better Christmas gift than the keys to our very own pub.
Last Sunday we brought festive cheer to Ickleton as we threw open the Lion’s doors for shareholders to take a look at their pub. The village came out in force and celebrated with carol singing, mulled wine, hot chocolate and mince pies in the village hall and we cut a ribbon at the pub to mark such a milestone moment.
We were honoured to be joined by Dr Nik Johnson, the mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, and Pippa Heylings MP, who has supported our campaign every step of the way. It was such a proud moment for the committee and a celebration of the goodwill and generosity of everyone who has helped us.
We hope it will be the first of many joyful celebrations as we get the pub back up and running again. The vision for the community-owned Ickleton Lion is to create a warm and welcoming space serving affordable food and drink. Not only can the pub become a social hub for the quarter of Ickleton residents who live alone, but be a meeting place for parents, a workspace for residents and a convening space for local groups and clubs.
As treasurer, I’ve spent the run up to Christmas securing all the necessary finances to support the purchase and making sure all the money is in the right place. Luckily, the generosity of the community and the support of a £45,000 grant from the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority in partnership with Plunkett UK, meant we had enough cash to buy the Lion outright.
Thankfully the pub has five chimneys for Santa to visit, because the repairs highlighted by the building survey make for a slightly eye-watering Christmas wishlist…..
Nothing terrible and we anticipated a lot, but it’s a big building – with a two-storey flat above the pub – and so there’s a lot of it to look after.
The Lion is a listed building with a history spanning over three centuries, so it needs continual care. The building has sat empty for over a year and is now facing its second winter. The survey was clear that this had taken its toll.
Thankfully, the building is structurally sound, which is positive given its listed status makes any substantial repairs a little more complicated.
The two biggest items on our Christmas list are the roof and the kitchen.
The Lion’s roof is a surprising zig zag of slopes and gulleys and urgently needs making watertight. Not only will this stop water damage, but keep out the smaller, furrier and much less welcome punters that have been making the occasional visit to the building.
The kitchen needs completely stripping back. Ideally, we’d like to move from gas to electricity so that – in time – we can realise our vision of a sustainable kitchen powered by solar panels. But for now, we need to start with the basics like disposing of the oil still in the deep fat fryers!
How do we balance the books with such a big job ahead?
We will have some cash left after the purchase to get started on the most urgent repairs straight away but we know it won’t be enough to get us to opening night.
A bank loan will help and we’re hoping to secure some grants to support the kitchen refurbishment. We’ve also got a Christmas Celebration and a Burns Night Ceilidh coming up in Ickleton to raise further funds. Our website (www.ickletonlionpub.co.uk) can accept donations and there will a further share offer at some point in the future. Follow our website and our Facebook page for more announcements.
There’s no doubt that it will take a lot of generosity to get the pub up and running once more. But that doesn’t just mean financial. Our recent volunteer survey brought in over 100 offers of free help and expertise from local people and tradespeople. We’d love to hear from anyone willing to lend their time and expertise to help us.
We have several workstreams on the go including the design of the interior of the pub and the transformation of the garden and carpark, led by expert teams of local volunteers. If you can lend your support, or trade materials and expertise in these areas, please get in touch.
In the coming months, we’ll bring you updates on each of those projects as they start to breathe new life into the Lion once again.