I mentioned last month that we had been given the opportunity to purchase our local pub. I’m delighted to say that on 24th January the purchase of The Tankerville Arms was successfully completed. Exactly as we have done with Longden Village Stores, we plan to reopen the pub, which has been closed for over a year, and run it for the benefit of the community.
With Easter falling so late this year (Easter Sunday is 20th April), we are hoping that we may be able to reopen before the Easter holidays, but there is a lot of work to do in the meantime!
Local Support
Last year, over two hundred local residents responded to a questionnaire asking them what they would like the pub to become. The overwhelming view was that, as well keeping the feel of a traditional pub, and continuing popular events such as pizza nights, quiz nights, and weekend breakfasts, people wanted it to offer more of a café feel, where people could drop in during the day to meet friends, relax or do some work.
Creating A Community Hub
We want to respond to this demand by creating a more relaxed feel to the premises: as well as refurbishing the bar, we will create a lounge area linked to the bar and shop, with sofas and easy chairs for our customers. We will undertake a complete refurbishment of the premises, so please bear with us as we build the new community hub for Longden.
As Longden Village Stores goes from strength to strength, I hope that we will be able to offer you an even better experience in the coming months by adding these new facilities. All the team look forward to welcoming you, whether it be to the shop or, once it reopens, the Tankerville.
This article from Patrick Woodall first appeared in the Longden Parish Magazine in February 2025
