Glasses have been raised to usher in a new era at the Mardale Inn at Bampton.
The reopening of the pub marked the culmination of a successful 11-month campaign to Save a Pub for the Valley.
Villagers and community supporters dug deep to raise enough money through the purchase of community shares to buy their local pub – something they had been without since before the pandemic.
In total, £400,000 was raised, with the majority coming from kind-hearted Cumbrians wanting to see a local resource thrive, but there was also pledges from as far afield as Australia and New Zealand.
Share capital was provided by over 500 people who all became members of the Bampton Valley Community Pub Community Benefit Society. The vast majority of members are from within Cumbria but with others all over the country. Many members have historic connections with families from the Bampton Valley.
Phil Sweetland, chairman of Bampton Valley Community Pub, said: “Our new Mardale Inn pub sign, hand-painted by one of our local members, architect Beth Dutson, was raised into place just in time for the opening.”
“As well as being beautiful, it perfectly represents all the out-of-hours effort that community volunteers have contributed to bring The Mardale back to life.
“We now have a community hub restored that we can all share and take pride in”.
Key supporters of the past campaign attended the opening event, including Terry Abraham, Lakes filmmaker; Chris Butterfield, Wainwright archivist; and
Penrith and the Border MP Neil Hudson.
The pub is at present open from Wednesday to Sunday for summer drinks and occasional pop-up food. It is planned to offer regular food in the autumn once the kitchen has been refurbished.
Dr Hudson, who joined in the celebrations on opening day, was spotted pouring a pint behind the bar as he helped toast the community’s success in getting the venture off the ground. He toasted the community’s success and said he was looking forward to the next stages of the pub’s development once work had been completed on its kitchen.
“What a win for rural community power, he said. “It was so good to see everyone’s smiling faces, knowing all their hard work has paid off. Bampton is a beautiful place and made all the more beautiful with the Mardale Inn’s new sign hanging proudly above its door.
“A village pub is not just a place to drink – it’s a community hub where people get together to share ideas, build business networks, and enjoy cultural events.
“To see such a small community pull together and save their local is so heart-warming. I was delighted to support the team with this project, and I wish all involved every success moving forward.”
