Hebden Bridge Web

Fox and Goose: Share Offer Launched to buy Community Pub

Monday, 17 June 2013

Hebden Bridge residents and real ale fans are now being given chance to own a share in West Yorkshire’s first co-operative pub.

A share offer has been launched by campaigners fighting to save the Fox and Goose, a traditional real ale pub on Heptonstall Road, Hebden Bridge.

Local people and real ale enthusiasts got together as the Friends of the Fox and Goose, to save the well-loved traditional pub, when the landlady’s deteriorating health meant she would soon be unable to run it herself. A steering group set up to investigate how to save the pub concluded that a co-operative would be viable and the community voted in favour of this option at a public meeting.

Fox and Goose barman Drew Magiera buying the first shares

The Fox and Goose (Hebden Bridge) Limited, the co-operative society set up to buy and run the pub for the benefit of the community, opened the share offer on Friday 14th June, and it will run until the end of July, unless the target is hit before that date.

The society aims to raise £130,000 to buy and spruce up the pub. Supporters will be able to buy shares from a value of £100 up to a maximum of £20,000.

At the time of preparing this news item, £27,750 worth of shares have been sold.

Applications can be made online via the Friends of the Fox and Goose website www.foxandgoose.org.

For those without internet access there will be sessions held in the pub to help with online ap-plications where access and instructions will be provided. Directors of the Society will be on hand in the pub to answer any questions and help with applications on Monday ,1st July, from 7-9pm and on Sunday, 14th July, from 1-4pm. Information about tax benefits on the shares will also be available.

Meeting at Fox and Goose