CAMPAIGNERS are making one last desperate appeal for donations to save their historic village pub.
The Salvation Squad is hoping to buy The New Inn in Norton Lindsay for £300,000 and continue to run the pub which first opened its doors in 1750.
Enterprise Inns, which is selling the pub, has agreed the purchase price with the campaigners who have already raised over £160,000 towards the cost – but need a further £140,000 by next Thursday to save the pub from being sold to developers.
They have even formed a choir and recorded their own version of the Christmas classic ‘The Holly and The Ivy’ to highlight their cause and raise cash.
Chairman of the Salvation Squad, Rob Brook added: “We only have until the end of this month to raise the funds and whilst the community is committed to this action, we are just a small village with 139 households.
“So we desperately need help from people further afield who can help us be the salvation of The New Inn and make it the first community pub in Warwickshire.”
And now a group of charitable folk who have been meeting at The New Inn for over 30 years have joined the fight to save the pub.
The ‘Stilton Sniffers’ regularly drink at the pub and have between them raised over £158,000 for local charities but are worried if their pub is not saved they will have to find a new home to continue their fundraising plans.
Stilton Sniffers Chairman Colin Wilcox said: “The New Inn has been our spiritual home and our headquarters in all that time.
“On the last Sunday of each month and sustained by Stilton and port we meet in pub to thrash out the details of our next fundraising event.
“We wholeheartedly support the New Inn – Salvation Squad in their attempts to save the New Inn for the village and call for your investment to keep our fundraising HQ open for many more meetings to come.”
Visit www.crowdfunder.co.uk/save-the-new-inn-norton-lindsey to donate or www.salvationsquad.co.uk for more information.
