Our initial vision is to ensure the Harewood Arms continues as a vibrant gathering point at the heart of our village community. We aim to do this by shifting the pub from a privately owned commercial business to a community hub, owned and run for the benefit of the Broadbottom community.

By maintaining and developing the commercial success of the core businesses, we hope to create funds to develop opportunities through the community hub to support and encourage wider positive impact across our community.

First Steps

• February 2023 – Find out what people think: A survey of village opinion confirmed strong support for the retention of the pub.
• March 2023 – Apply to register the pub as an Asset of Community Value: An ACV registration is recognition from Tameside Council that it is in the interests of the community to retain the pub. ACV registration also provides a window of opportunity for our community group to bid to buy the pub should a commercial bidder make an offer.
• March 2024 –  Join the Plunkett Society: The society advises community groups like ours on the complexities of buying and running Pubs as community assets.
• April 2024 – Register to set up a Community Benefit Society (CBS): A CBS is a special type of company to own and manage community assets for community benefit.
• April 2024 – Invite pledges from our community to buy shares in the project.
• June 2024 – Community business set up: Our CBS registration with Financial Conduct Authority was approved  as the “Broadbottom Community Pub Limited”
• June 2024 – Our first funding milestone: We reached £50,000 in share pledges.
• July 2024 – ACV registration is approved: As a registered Asset of Community Value (ACV) we are in a strong position to take the project forward
• August 2024 Launched Save the Harewood website: https://savetheharewood.org.uk/
• August 2024 We reached £100,000 in share pledges.
• November 2024 Local Bands Night fund-raiser generated £2,300 towards start-up costs – thanks to Swim, Calico and the community!
• November 2024 Successful application to Co-operatives UK for funding to cover costs of completing Business Plan, and Share Offer documents and promotion, and applying for the Community Share Standard Mark.
• November 2024 We reached £125,000 in share pledges.
• December 2024 Government cancelled COF the go-to funding programme for community pubs.
• January 2025 Fund-raising: Pub-quizzes now on a monthly basis; Sunday board games event initiated.
• February 2025 Preparation for grant funding applications. Support meetings with GM Business Development Hub.
• March 2025 Our first community litter pick.
• April 2025 Finalising Business Plan.

Next steps:

We’re now drawing on the support and experience of the Plunkett Society to develop our business plan, prepare a formal community share offer, submit grant applications, complete share offer document, submit booster equity funding application, apply for Community Shares Standard Mark, and explore the funding options we will need to progress the deal.

Our Initial Goal

Our aim is to buy the Harewood and the associated brewery, for the community, with a combination of community shares, grants, equity loans and donations. We want the Harewood to be a Community Hub, keeping it at the heart of village life.

Ensuring the pub stays in business and becomes the heart of our community hub means protecting local jobs, both directly and indirectly, through continuing support of the local economy, including the Tigellae pizza kiosk, Lymefield Garden Centre and Farm Shop, and local tradespeople.

This is our initial goal, but then we want to go further….find out more