With widespread pub closures, Shillingstone cricketers have taken the unlikely step of reopening the Old Ox – testing whether community effort can can keep these spaces alive
‘Some people think we are mad to take up this challenge, but sometimes you have to stand up for something that is important.’
That was the message, clear and simple, to the residents of Shillingstone when a group of local cricketers announced that the Old Ox was re-opening in May. It’s not an easy time to open a pub. Recent industry data from the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) shows that 161 pubs closed between January and March this year in Britain – almost two a day. But there’s something very special about the Old Ox, and that’s the passion behind saving it for a community.
Village cricketers take a stand
The Old Ox Inn has had a turbulent few years: opening, closing, trying to reopen as a community asset. The pub closed its doors quite suddenly earlier this year, leaving the village with no hub. The village cricket team got together and discussed what they could do to get the doors open.
Charlie Austin is the captain of Shillingstone Cricket Club and a director of the newly-formed community interest company now managing the Old Ox.
‘Once the pub closed I was part of the group that made the crazy decision to try and get it re-opened,’ he told Dorset Life. ‘I became a director, and I’m assisting Harry [Paulley] with setting things up.
‘The Ox has always been dear to everyone in the village and as soon as it closed – again– it was obvious it was really important to get it back up and running. It was clear that it wouldn’t be easy to find people to take it over and run it successfully … and what we didn’t want was for the village to lose its pub again in the future. We had a few discussions and put a team together and then started fundraising in the community – and we got the doors back open again.
‘From the cricket club’s perspective, it’s the place we all socialise in after games, during the week and after practices. It’s a fairly important institution in bringing everyone together. If you just play at the ground, people will drift off afterwards. But when you have a pub in the village, people will gather there and then you get these connections. The community connects with the club, the club connects with other clubs … It’s not just us: the football club relies on the pub, the tennis club too and we have darts teams and skittles, which are really important in the area.
‘We realised there were many other sports groups and social groups who need a space. It’s the kind of thing that knits the community together. And the more conversations we had, the clearer it became how important this was to people.’
Career change
When new landlord and manager Harry Paulley was introduced, the village was delighted. Harry is another cricketer and has lived in Shillingstone all his life. His grandmother is currently the village’s oldest resident and his grandfather worked on the old Shillingstone Railway … and played cricket. Until recently Harry was the very reliable local Evri driver, but he is enjoying the career change.
‘People are asking me what’s going to happen to their parcels,’ he says. ‘But they also say they will stop shopping online and spend their money in here!’
Harry has been involved with the pub makeover and getting the place ready for opening. The pub had not been upgraded for years, so the team replaced the floors and freshened up the interior. The kitchens are also being renovated.
‘This place is such a massive part of the village.’ says Harry. ‘People were struggling without it. I’m one of three directors and there are eight or nine people who have supported us financially. We’ve also had help from Kumar Sangakkara, one of the greatest Sri Lankan cricketers, who lives in the village. I have always wanted a pub, so this has worked out nicely.
‘We have now been open a few weeks – and it has been absolutely crazy. The best bit has been seeing how happy people are to be able to come in here again. We’ve had people travel from Shaftesbury, Gillingham and Blandford to support us. We know you will always get that honeymoon period with a new opening, so we do have to work on getting people to come back again. While the kitchen is closed we have had a couple of food vans and that has been good.
‘We’ll have food ourselves very soon. And we have been told the bar has some of the best ale selections in Dorset – a lot of people come in just for the real ale. We have Palmers from Bridport, and Timothy Taylor which has just been voted the best real ale in Britain. We also have Tribute, which is local.
‘And we’ve taken on some 18-year-olds, training them up to work in the bar.’
The village wins
One of the special things about the Old Ox and the new ownership is that the community and sport is very much at its heart. Although it is hard to turn a profit in the hospitality industry right now, the team plans to use any surplus they make to support village’s sporting facilities. Charlie says:
‘The fundraising hasn’t finished, and the way we see it is this is a community asset. The nicer we make it, the more people can enjoy it. We also want to understand more about how we can make it work, especially in this climate. We want to build a business model that meets the needs of the village but that is financially sensible too. Despite the current economic climate we think there is an opportunity to make a little bit of money, and the idea is to invest it in the property and also to develop sports and recreation facilities within the village: not just the cricket club, but the football, tennis and the primary school too.’
Harry has his eye on success at the Old Ox: ‘It has always been a good pub, with a lot of clubs that use it. I’m hoping it will be successfu … I think it will be. People just need to continue to support it.’
by Rachael Rowe
