The Old Horn in Spennithorne.
A community group which stepped in to save a Wensleydale pub has won a national award.
CAMRA has named the Old Horn Community Pub Society, who saved the Old Horn Inn in Spennithorne, as the winner of its Pub Saving Award 2024.
The Pub Saving Award recognises people who have come together to save a pub that would have otherwise been demolished or converted to another use. It aims to secure publicity for pub-saving campaigns to encourage others to save their local.
The Old Horn, a pub over 200 years old, closed suddenly in 2022 with planning application submitted to convert it into housing.
Local villagers banded together to protect the pub from this fate, raising £180,000 to bring it into community ownership and undertaking a major volunteer-led refurbishment.
The pub successfully reopened to the public in May last year.
Pub Saving Award Coordinator Paul Ainsworth said: “When a pub closes, it is incredibly hard to open the doors again, with many losing the battle to conversion or demolition. That is why these awards are so important, the hard work and dedication shown by these campaigns to save local pubs deserve recognition.
“They are all inspirational stories, that will hopefully encourage more pub-saving campaigns, so future generations can enjoy the wonderful sense of community that only a pub can provide.
“2024 marked the one-year anniversary of the wanton destruction of the Crooked House pub in Himley, serving as a grim reminder that pubs in the wrong hands can sadly disappear. January is a tough time for pubs, so please make sure to support your local and seek out beautiful heritage pubs across the UK.”
The pubs will be presented with the award at forthcoming events organised by the respective local CAMRA branches in early 2025.
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