Save the Angel Inn
We are fighting to save our village pub, and make it work for the whole community. With your help we can make it happen.
Make a Pledge
£50k is the MINIMUM needed to get this project off the ground, and to match-fund the grants we are going for.
£250k is the OPTIMUM amount needed to secure the pub for the community.
£350k is our TARGET amount needed secure the pub for the community, renovate and open it.
And if we exceed our target we can do more - like making the pub energy efficient to cut our running costs, landscaping the site, and planning amenity areas, like a playground, for the village.
We’re well aware that this sounds like a lot of money (because it is!), but pubs in Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire have done this - it IS possible. For example, if only 200 people pledge £250 each, we’ll get to our minimum £50k target. We’ve already secured a handful of larger pledges and so we’ll be well on our way.
Why save the Angel?
After serving the community for over 150 years, Salem’s historic Angel Inn closed its doors in July 2022. With a live planning application to convert it to housing, there is now a huge risk that the pub will be lost to the community forever.
The Angel was the heart of our village, and its closure was devastating for the community. There is nowhere in Salem offering food or drink, for holidaymakers to eat, or for us to meet and socialise in a relaxed atmosphere. We have a thriving village hall with lots of activities but the pub fulfilled a different role - bringing people together over food and drink, live music and big get-togethers. It’s time to come together and do something about it.
What did the Angel mean to you?
🍺 Maybe you miss meeting friends for a drink after work, or seeing live music
🍵 Maybe you work from home and need decent wi-fi, good strong coffee or a pint of milk
🥳 Maybe you miss going for a family meal, for birthdays or get-togethers
🍃Maybe you’d like meet new people - through a book club,quiz night, volunteering, or a community garden
🌍 Maybe you grew up here and have fond memories of good times at the Angel
🏖️ Maybe you’re a holidaymaker or a holiday cottage owner, local supplier or even a community group wanting to hire a larger space for fundraisers or events
❤️Maybe you’ve lived here all your life and just don’t want to lose your village pub.
Whatever your connection - you can play a part in helping save the Angel.
What’s the plan?
Working with Cwmpas (social business experts) and the Plunkett Foundation (community pub experts) we’ve formed a new community organisation, with volunteers from the village and outlying areas. We’re campaigning, fundraising and engaging with the community to develop a shared vision for the site.
To get the project off the ground we need demonstrate it has the solid backing of the community. We’re therefore launching a Community Share Pledge - to gauge the level of support - and inviting everyone to get involved. Our share pledge opens on 22nd April 2024 and runs for 4 weeks until 20th May.
Our aim is to secure the pub for the community, by the community. But we’re not reinventing the wheel. Community pubs are growing in popularity and a successful business model for us - so we’re setting up a Community Benefit Society (CBS) - a not-for-profit business model which is attractive to funders and used successfully by communities across Wales - like the White Hart in St Dogmaels and Tafarn y Vale in Ceredigion. It’s a popular structure for the ownership of assets which have importance for the whole community. With community ownership we have control over what the pub can offer, and make it work for all of us. And research by the Plunkett has shown that community owned pubs have a 99% success rate. Once the CBS is up and running, we hope to formally open the share offer in early Summer.
Community Vision
Our vision has developed by engagement with the community at every stage. In Autumn 2023 we launched a consultation on the future of the Angel and over 90% of respondents so far have said they would like to see the pub re-open, and run by and for the community. They told us they would like a place to work, learn, socialise together, with affordable, locally-sourced good food and drink, coffee and cake, wi-fi, a small community shop and opportunities to access services, like healthcare, education and training.
They’d like the pub to be sustainable, with low-cost energy options and eventually a community garden, space for a Farmers' Market and a start and finish point for walking and cycling routes. Some people said they would like to help run it, and wanted to donate time and money to help. The ability to offer local jobs, space for cross-generational interaction and a warm space for home-workers to be able to work was also key.
Consultation and feedback is helping us formulate our Business Plan (coming soon!) - and is an ongoing process. Have your say by completing our survey questionnaire! Or come to our next community meeting on 11th May, 10-12 noon at the Village Hall, or email us! salemgarltd@gmail.com
“During the Covid pandemic the Angel played an incredibly important role as a community food hwb - distributing food for donations and takeaway meals as a vital resource for those without transport, shielding, and the elderly. For all of us who volunteered or used the hwb it was a lifeline. It connected the village at a time of crisis. This project is born out of that experience, and the desire of the village not to lose that vital resource.”
Food hwb volunteer.
Can you help us?
Community support is critical to the success of the project. Our survey showed an overwhelming level of support for community rescue of the Angel Inn, with over 90% of responders saying they wanted to see the pub reopen.
You can help us save the Angel and secure it for the community by pledging to buy a share. If just 200 people pledge £250, we’ve reached our first milestone!
The more people we can get to pledge their support, the greater our ability will be to take the project forward - and demonstrate to grant funders that the community are behind the plans.
Our aim is that the community-owned, renovated Angel Inn will create jobs and volunteer opportunities, strengthen community cohesion and resilience, provide affordable food and drink, attract tourists to stay, eat and drink, and create a vibrant community space for all.
What happens next?
Hit the Pledge Button below to let us know how many shares you’d like to pledge to buy.
No money needs to be forwarded at this stage - and this is not a final commitment on your part.
Further financial information and final details of the share offer will be provided in a formal share offer document at a later stage, allowing you to make a more informed choice.
If you have any further questions on the Community Share Pledge, please speak to members of the working group at our next meet-up, a Twmpath evening with FREE CAWL! on Friday 10th May 7pm in Salem Memorial Hall, or email salemgarltd@gmail.com