Battle continues to save West Sussex village's last local pub
The Blue Bell in Cocking has just two weeks find £30,000 to cover its debts
Last updated 14th Jan 2025
Residents of a West Sussex village are battling to save their last local pub - which has just two weeks to fill a £30,000 debt.
It's the second time the Blue Bell in Cocking has almost faced closure, with the last seeing it transformed into a not-for-profit, community run space.
Since, it's become a vital space locally, particularly within providing an outlet and social space for the village's older population.
But lingering effects of the pandemic, as well as debts incurred from the initial set up of the pub as a Community Hub, means it now must raise vital funds in order to keep it's doors open.
Andrew Cornwell, chair of the Blue Bell community hub, says times have been "tough":
"We've struggled a lot over the last four or five years.
And unfortunately, we find ourselves in a bit of a crisis point.
"At the moment, we don't want to lose the heart of our village, the heart of our community, which would be the pub.
"It's crucial that it stays."
He told Greatest Hits Radio that the space has become even more important since the closure of the village's shop.
"There is nothing else in the village for us. And if we were to lose the pub as well, we'd have lost the shop and the and the pub in the space of a month unfortunately."
A fundraiser set up by the Community Hub has raised £3000 and counting towards saving the Blue Bell.
Andrew said once the debt is cleared, new tenants will be able to take over and make the pub even better:
"They've been thinking about the possibility of maybe putting a little bit of a shop service in for the village now.
"Our shop's shut, so that would be a really positive thing going forwards.
"Not only would it be the Community hub that we need, but it would also give the some of the older villagers who find it harder to get to the shops the chance to go and buy some vital bits and bobs from the pub as well."