Helen Christie Helen Christie

Pop-Up-Fox Oktoberfest

The Bartons Community Benefit Society Limited is holding an Oktoberfest event at the Alice Marshall Hall in Middle Barton on Saturday, 26 October 2024 from 3 PM to 9 PM. There will be draft beer, food and live music. The Fox has been closed for over a year now and this is a chance to remind ourselves exactly what we are all missing. We also want to reassure any potential investors that we are still 100% behind getting our pub back! If this event is a success, we may make it a regular thing! Come and join us!

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Helen Christie Helen Christie

Negotiations for the Fox have failed, we're closing down our Crowdfunder, we will continue our efforts.

It has been 12 weeks since our last update. We wanted to let you know what has been happening. In this update: The offer made by a private group. The condition of the building. All money paid through Crowdfunder to be refunded in full. 

The Offer: We supported a bid made by a group who share our vision. This bid was made back in February and was never even considered by Stonegate (the owner). Although their offer has formally expired, this group remain in contact with the agent are still keen on working with us to save the Fox.

Stonegate will say that this delay is because they went through changes of leadership in the boardroom over the last few months. We think they are holding out for the kind of money developers will pay, even though there is little chance of getting permission to build houses on the site. We are aware of the national scandal of pubs being overpriced by cynical owners, putting them beyond the reach of their communities. We are working with other communities to expose this practice through the national press.

The Building: The Fox remains empty and is still on the market. Having survived a winter, we were alarmed that a section of the kitchen ceiling had collapsed. We now understand this was due to a burst pipe running inside the ceiling, not a failure of the roof itself. The pipe and ceiling have been repaired. The Fox is a Grade II listed building, with an Asset of Community Value Order on it. Stonegate are well aware they have a legal duty to repair and maintain the building. They know we are watching the situation very closely. We know that the clock is ticking. 

The Refund: We cannot extend our Crowdfunder appeal beyond the six months it has already been open. Therefore, you will be refunded in full from 31st May. Please email mbcommunitypub@gmail.com if you have not received your refund within 10 days of this date. We will be in touch with those who bought shares as a Christmas gift.

We Are Not Giving Up: We are very grateful and deeply moved by the levels of passion and support we received from you, our community. We love the Fox as much as you do and will continue to do everything we can to see it reopen as a community pub. Wednesday’s announcement of a general election has brought uncertainty to our planned application for government funding. We will be monitoring the situation very closely and will be calling on your support again.

Thanks again for your patience and energy.

Richard C Brown MBE on behalf of The Bartons Community Benefit Society Ltd Committee.

“Save Our Fox”

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Helen Christie Helen Christie

Stay with us on this adventure!

Thank you for your continued support of the Bartons Community Benefit Society’s ongoing efforts to purchase the Fox Inn as a community pub.

It is now 1st February and the second round of the share offer on Crowdfunder has concluded. To date, we have raised a total of £120,150, which is a fantastic amount and a testament to the strength of feeling in our community to save the pub. It is, of course, not enough to meet the purchase price outright.

The Bartons CBS has had some initial discussions with a small group of local high net worth individuals who are interested in working with us to purchase the Fox Inn as a community pub. We believe that this is the best route forward for the CBS to continue to pursue our objectives of keeping the Fox Inn as a community pub and reopening as soon as possible.

We are considering structures in which the CBS could use the money raised so far, alongside this small group of high net worth individuals. The CBS would be a minority player in any proposed structure. In other words, the CBS would hold a minority holding in a community interest company (or similar structure) that would buy the pub. The pub would remain subject to the statutory asset lock – and any agreement between the CBS and the other owners would need to be carefully worded to ensure that our vision and purpose to maintain the Fox Inn as a community pub are aligned. Your stake in the CBS and the terms under which you made it remain the same.

This would mean that the CBS would not own the pub outright at the outset – we would only own a part equal to the amount of what we put in. The key points are:

• The Fox would reopen as a Community Pub in 2024

• Our community would have a strong voice around the table

• In time, we could increase our holding.

This is a change of proposal. We understand that this change may mean that you no longer wish to support the CBS in a joint venture where the CBS has a minority holding only. In that case, thank you for your support to date. You are welcome to cancel. Until Friday 16th of February 2024, you can request a refund via your own account on Crowdfunder or you can email us at info@ourfox.org and we will process the refund for you.

As you have supported us this far, we hope very much that you will continue to support our efforts and keep your financial support in place in the CBS. Thank you for helping us to work towards a new Fox Inn community pub!

Richard Brown MBE

The Bartons Community Benefit Society Ltd

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Helen Christie Helen Christie

Stocks and Shares!

“Repent Ye!”

 Oxfordshire villagers recreate the village stocks after 155 years

  • The stocks in Middle Barton stood in Fox Lane, behind the Fox Inn, until 1868

  • A local craftsman has constructed a new set to be used in conjunction with a bid to buy the Fox Inn and re-open it as a community owned pub. The bid is being financed through the sale of shares.

  • It is planned to have the stocks available for fundraising events and to erect them at the pub when it reopens

  • It’s not known when the stocks were first installed in Middle Barton but according to a 15th century law, The Statute of Labourers Act of 1405, all towns and villages were required to provide a set of stocks for the punishment of petty offences. The last recorded use of the stocks in England was in 1872*. Since then their use as a legal punishment has largely been forgotten even though it is believed never to have been formally repealed in UK law

  • Chair of the local Parish Meeting, Steve Ferrelly, says: “The Parish certainly welcomes the idea of reinstating the village stocks, and the community bid to buy the Fox Inn, although we don’t anticipate using them for their original purpose!”

  • The Bartons Community Benefit Society Ltd is organising the bid to buy the 18th century Grade II listed pub, which has been closed since June. The Community Share Offer was launched on 20th November and information is available at crowdfunder.co.uk/p/save-our-fox where the shares can also be purchased.

 

*The last recorded use of the stocks as punishment in England was on 11th June 1872 in Newbury, Berkshire, when Mark Tuck was fixed in the stocks for four hours for drunkenness and disorderly conduct. 

 

ENDS

 

Notes:


The Bartons Community Benefit Society Ltd was set up by residents of Middle Barton in Oxfordshire with the aim of saving their local pub, The Fox Inn. It was put on the market and closed by the owners, Stonegate Group, in June this year. 

The Fox Inn, at the corner of Fox Lane and Enstone Road is in the parish of Westcott Barton, the modern address being 27 Enstone Road, Middle Barton, Chipping Norton OX7 7BL

It has been a public house since at least 1809, is early 18th century and Grade II Listed (https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1052492?section=official-list-entry)

For further information or interviews:

Richard Brown MBE – BCBS Chair
mbcommunitypub@gmail.com

 Steve Ferrelly - Chair, Westcott Barton Parish Meeting & BCBS Committee member
steve.ferrelly@btopenworld.com

 

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Helen Christie Helen Christie

MP Backs Community Pub Bid!

The Community Bid to bring the Fox Inn in Westcote Barton has received strong support from Robert Courts, their Member of Parliament. In his letter to the Minister for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities 30 October 2023, he said:

“This cause is very close to my heart. I used to hold my District Councillor surgeries in the Fox when I represented the area at West Oxfordshire District Council, and know what a fantastic thriving asset it could be.”

He explained why he thought the bid would succeed.

“Moreover, I have known many of those behind the local campaign for many years and know that when they promise, they deliver. Many are the leading lights behind the hugely successful OurBus Bartons community project – they are experienced, dedicated, and know how to succeed.”

 

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Helen Christie Helen Christie

Local Community Launches Campaign to Buy Their Beloved Pub!

An Oxfordshire community is selling shares in their village local in the run up to Christmas to bring it under community ownership. Can you help?

 

The Fox Inn, Middle Barton

The Fox Inn in Middle Barton is a beautiful Grade II listed 18th Century Public House, it is a unique part of the village, having operated as a thriving Community Hub for hundreds of years. Over the last decade, the pub has often been closed for significant periods of time, or run well below its potential. At the end of June, the owner put the Fox on the market for £495,900 and it has been closed ever since. As the community successfully applied for ACV (Asset of Community Value) status for The Fox in 2021, they now have until the end of this year to make a bid.

Richard Brown MBE is leading the bid and takes up the story: “In today’s world, pubs need to totally reinvent themselves, both in the way they are run and the way they are used. We know that community pubs have more than a 99% success rate. We believe that only our community can ‘Save Our Fox’.”

There was a lot of work to do. How have they been making this happen? John Madden, Vice-Chair, explains: “We’ve been very busy. We launched a survey and used the results to set out a vision for an accessible, welcoming space at the heart of our community. At the same time, we commissioned a structural survey which told us that the building is in good shape and a commercial feasibility study which confirmed that the Fox can, as a Free House under community ownership, be a profitable business. We joined the Plunkett Foundation, who have helped many communities save their pubs, and set up The Bartons Community Benefit Society Ltd. During the autumn, we held some community events to raise awareness.

Pop-up Fox Event 8/9/23

The Society’s Treasurer, Sue West, explains: “Once we have secured the pub, we will recruit a tenant who shares our vision to run the business on our behalf. Our Business Plan sets out how we intend to pay interest on investments and reinvest any surplus in our exciting plans to transform the Fox into much more than a pub.”

How have the community been involved? Sue adds: “We have been overwhelmed by the very strong community support we have seen so far. We have collected pledges of £123k, with many more people interested in investing. People have given many hours of their time and expertise, helping to put our Business Plan and Marketing Strategy together. The community has shared photos and memories to revive the history of this pub, a talented local carpenter has even reproduced the village stocks, which stood at the side of the pub until 1868. A local celebrity Tamzin Outhwaite has also pledged her support

Jill Kavanagh, Society Secretary, explains the opportunity: “Owning Community Shares is not without risk. You may get interest on your investment, but the real return is the knowledge that your investment is working hard for the good of the community every single day.” 

Asked about the share offer, Jill says: “We already have a large number of pledges so we are expecting these shares to move quickly. It isn’t every day people have a chance to buy a share in a 300-year-old Oxfordshire pub and have a say in how it is run.”

Working closely with Crowdfunder.co.uk, who are registered with the Fundraising Regulator, they have set their target at £520,000 and looking for investments between £100 and 100,000 from now until Christmas. The shares also make a great Christmas present for the person who has everything!

 

You can buy shares and read their Share Offer Document, Society Rules and Business Plan at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/save-our-fox



 

For Further information on this story please contact:

 

Richard C Brown MBE

mbcommunitypub@gmail.com

https://ourfox.org/

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Helen Christie Helen Christie

Local Celebrity Backs Community Bid to Save Pub!

Tamzin Outhwaite (photo by Paul Hansen)

The actress Tamzin Outhwaite - best known for playing Mel Owen in Eastenders and star of the military drama Red Cap and Hotel Babylon - has pledged support to her local community to help bring their village pub under community ownership.

The Fox Inn is a Grade II listed 18th Century pub and restaurant in The Bartons in North Oxfordshire. Formerly a 2012 CAMRA award-winning pub, over the past decade it has changed ownership and ‘tied’ tenants frequently, meaning it has often been closed for significant periods of time.

To safeguard its future, villagers formed a voluntary community group and successfully applied for ACV (Asset of Community Value) status for The Fox - it was officially reclassified as community asset in 2021.

The freehold of The Fox is now for sale, and the village wants its pub back!

Tamzin says; "We moved to the area in 2019, and we absolutely love it here. The Fox was a lovely, traditional village pub, and it’s a big part of the reason we chose to make a home here. Every village needs a pub, and The Fox was a hub for everything that happens in the Middle Barton. I have pledged my support and would encourage others to do so too. Even if you don't live here, this is about saving a very precious bit of village life."

Leading the on the community’s bid, Richard Brown MBE, said; “The local community has signalled overwhelming support for the Save our Fox campaign. In just a few weeks we received pledges for £122,750 for the campaign. We are so proud that our community is supporting this so fully, we still need this and more to convert to shares and put in a bid before the deadline of December 27th.”

Tamzin explains; "I believe we should all help where we can, which is why I founded the group ‘We Free Women’. I am really looking forward to working with the community owners to keep The Fox local – plus, I also have a passion for upcycling furniture, and as the pub is being sold completely empty, the community can count on me to help."

For more information and to support the campaign, please visit www.ourfox.org 

For Further information on this story please contact:

 

Richard C Brown MBE

mbcommunitypub@gmail.com

https://ourfox.org/

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J Dale J Dale

The story so far…

What is currently happening with the Fox?

As you probably know, the Fox is now closed as its owners Stonegate Group have put the freehold up for sale.

As the Fox is classed as an ‘asset of community value’, we have been able to trigger a 6-month moratorium period with West Oxfordshire District Council, during which the Fox can only be sold to eligible local community groups. This runs until 27 December 2023.

After the initial public meeting a steering group was formed to set up ‘The Bartons Community Benefit Society Limited’ that is able buy the Fox during the moratorium. This company is a form of co-operative society and will enable the Fox to be owned by and for the benefit of the community, rather than a private company or individual.

As a member of the Plunkett Foundation, we will receive expert advice and support on our journey. We are building our business plan. A commercial survey and feasibility study is happening this week - and we’ll keep you in touch.

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