In May 2019, the Bell and Bear in Emberton closed its doors. The previous landlords had won numerous awards including MK chef of the year and had built a glowing reputation for fine dining and superb beers and wines. If talent in the kitchen was all it took, they and their pub should have been basking in success. But this is a tough business and despite strong support from the village, the pub ultimately closed. But that is far from the end of the story.
In 2014 the pub was registered as a Community Asset. So, when owners, The Wellington Pub Company, decided to sell up, they had to give the community an opportunity to bid for it. Given the asking price and the state of disrepair, the community knew they needed to raise in the region of £450,000 to make this dream a reality. It was a tall ask. But every village needs a pub, and there’s something about the Bell and Bear that is special. The villagers rallied, dug deep and came up with the goods. 74 investors in total ranging from £250 through to £100,000, gave the village enough to meet the £350,000 asking price with funds in the bank for some remedial refurbishment work. At the time of writing, the solicitors are hard at work. But we hope to be getting those keys soon.
