FREE spaces for Oxfordshire co-operative pubs study visit – 26 and 27 February

Free places are available to anyone interested in saving their local pub as a community-owned business to visit two thriving examples in Oxfordshire later this month.

The Bull in Great Milton and the Seven Stars in Marsh Baldon will open their doors on the 26 February to give people the opportunity to learn from their experiences of saving their much-loved local from closure by purchasing and running it as a community enterprise. Networking and discussion sessions will then take place in Woodstock on Friday 27 February between 9:30am and 12pm

Organised by local charity the Plunkett Foundation, the study tour will escort attendees from its base in Woodstock to The Bull – opened in 2013 by celebrity chef Raymond Blanc – to learn how the community rallied to form a committee and save the 17th century pub from closure in just five months. The group will then proceed to the Seven Stars to learn about the co-operative ownership model in more depth, followed by dinner and the opportunity to network with others, including Julian Ross from the Old Crown, the first co-operative pub in England, and Plunkett Foundation advisers. Discussions and networking will continue the following day.

Included in the study visit is:

• One night’s accommodation at The Bear in Woodstock on 26 Feb;
• Travel between the two co-operative pubs and The Bear;
• Dinner at the Seven Stars co-operative pub in Marsh Baldon;
• Discussion sessions on Friday morning with refreshments.

Places are extremely limited and offered on a first-come, first-served basis. If you would value the opportunity to learn first-hand from those involved in the setting up and running of co-operative pubs please email info@plunkett.co.uk or call 01993 810730.

Harriet English, Membership Manager

Plunkett Foundation     Tel: 01993 814374

Twitter: @HarrietPlunkett