Finishing Line in sight for Ogbourne St Andrew’s ‘Silks on the Downs’

The long journey towards turning Ogbourne St Andrew’s ‘Silks on the Downs’ into a community-owned pub came one step closer recently when the Government announced that ‘The Silks’ was one of a number of ‘Great British boozers’ (Govt. words, not ours) to be saved as ‘Community Assets’ and awarded vital funding under the ‘levelling up’ process.

The ‘Save The Silks’ campaign is nearing a successful conclusion.

‘The Silks’ have been awarded £237,500, enough to complete the purchase of the pub from the current owner and allow funds to be diverted towards the refurbishment works required to create a pub that will be accessible to all and provide excellent ambience for all customers.

Simon Basford, Vice-Chair of Ogbourne Community Pub Society told marlborough.news: ‘We are delighted that we’ve been successful in meeting the criteria and being selected for this Government funding which along with the funds we raised from our Community Share Offer helps us secure the future of ‘The Silks on the Downs’ allowing us to push ahead with the purchase of the freehold and our refurbishment plans. Now more than ever we are confident we will be able to retain this important asset for the community into the future. We are very thankful to the community and the current owner for their ongoing support which has made this possible’.

Timescale? First the completion of the sale will take place ‘soon’, then the refurbishment starts in earnest with an opening date at some point ‘in the summer’, yet to be announced. There is already a strong and committed team of volunteers to get involved – some experienced tradespeople, some ‘competent DIYers’ – but the ‘Save The Silks’ team will always be looking for more help.

‘The Silks’ will be there for the whole community – locals, those not so local, passing trade and those who might want to stop off from the Sustrans cycle track on the old railway that runs very close by. And those that want to visit to the area and use Ogbourne St Andrew as a starting point for walks to The Ridgeway and over the Downs.

Small but important aspects are planned – disabled access through the front door (previously it was via a rear door), and a disabled toilet and facilities for changing babies nappies.

Yes, a pub for the whole community…..