Yarcombe Inn East Devon Community Project

Aim

You can still participate in the Save The Yarcombe Inn Campaign at. https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/yarcombe-inncommunity-project-second-wave

HELP US SAVE THE YARCOMBE INN, A HISTORIC BUILDING, TO TRANSFORM IT INTO A COMMUNITY HUB FOR OUR COMMUNITY, THE BLACKDOWN HILLS AND BEYOND

The Yarcombe Inn, a quintessential thatched country pub nestled in the Blackdown Hills of Devon, has had an uninterrupted history of welcoming visitors and locals for nearly a thousand years - until 2015.

When William of Normandy landed in 1066 the Yarcombe Inn was already a church house offering travellers a place to rest and eat on their pilgrimage to Glastonbury and onward to Canterbury. It has seen knights returning from the Crusades, Sir Frances Drake returning from the Armada, tired and weary soldiers of the first and second world wars. During all this time the Yarcombe Inn has stood sentinel, a silent observer to centuries of change.

In 2015 the pub was bought and has remained closed ever since.

NOW we have one moment in time to save this precious place for the future. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR CAMPAIGN.

 Looking over Yarcombe and down to the Yarcombe Inn on a misty morning

 RECENT EVENTS

The last working publicans moved away from Yarcombe in 2009 and leased the pub to the community whose 60 volunteers coming from near and far ran it successfully until 2014 when it closed its doors and was sold in 2015. An excited community believed that it was to reopen as a pub, restaurant and B&B. Sadly its doors remained closed. In 2015, with huge support from the community, the Parish Council successfully applied to make the pub an asset of community value (ACV) and an application by the owners to turn it into a residential building was refused. FIRST STEP ACHIEVED!

Now our beloved Yarcombe Inn is on the market and the community is pulling together to save this treasured hub of Blackdown Hills life and history once and for all - for today and the next 1,000 years.

The community’s right to bid has been implemented and our campaign begun!

Yarcombe Inn 3rd Anniversary Party of being run by the community

WHAT IS OUR VISION?

This is not just a bid to save our local pub. It is about re-establishing our centre, building a new 21^st Century community hub, including a range of services and facilities, not just for the village of Yarcombe but for the surrounding communities in the Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

This is your chance to be part of that vision, to preserve a great history and provide a place where people can continue to gather for generations to come.

PLEASE NOTE: Our share offer and business plan will be added to this site very soon. Please visit again or email [email protected] to ensure you get the full information.

Some of our campaign team at the Yarcombe Terrier races

"Together we are committed to do this as our generation’s contribution to preserving this wonderful historic and socially important building and we do so hope you are with us."  Nick Randle, Chair Yarcombe Parish Council.

Join our investors who believe in our project and be part of an exciting new future for the Yarcombe Inn.

IN THE 17^TH CENTURY THE YARCOMBE INN WAS CALLED THE ANGEL INN. PLEASE BE OUR ANGEL AND SUPPORT US.

WHAT COULD WE OFFER?

Keeping the concept of a pub – ‘a public house’ at the heart of what we are doing we could also support:

• Family friendly facilities where the young and old can meet during the day and into the evening
• Tea room and coffee shop
• Real ales at affordable prices
• Great locally sourced food
• Traditional pub games including a Skittles Alley
• Business centre with Hi speed Wi Fi and internet access
• Local Shop
• Cafe and Bar
• Parcel drop off and pick up point
• B & B
• Local arts and Crafts Gallery and shop
• Blackdown Hills visitors centre
• Regular music and open mic nights

Yarcombe Inn Anniversary  3^rd Year Anniversary of being community run

JUST IMAGINE

• Supping your pint in the same place that Sir Francis Drake supped ale over 500 years ago
• Eating in the room where 11^th century monks welcomed pilgrims on their route to Glastonbury
• Listening to the best of local music in warm friendly surroundings.
• Meeting your friends over coffee and a bacon butty on a misty winter’s morning while your toddlers play in a safe area
• Stopping off for a cup of coffee or a Devon cream tea and finding out about all the great places to visit in Devon and the Jurassic Coast
• Walking through the footpaths of Yarcombe and Marsh and the Blackdown Hills and coming to the day’s end – to have a local beer and home made food cooked fresh before going up the stairs to the Drake Bedroom – or the Friars Snug

All this in the village where the famous Drake’s Drum, which legend tells is heard whenever the country is in peril, resided until recently.

BENEFITS OF INVESTING

We have only had a few short weeks to get the campaign up and running. This is a mighty endeavour for a small community and we have only a short time to make our offer. However we are determined to preserve the Inn and we ask for your help.

We are working to complete our business plan and financial model, which will most likely include a share offer.

If you are interested in making an investment in our pub but do not feel you have sufficient information yet to do this, please revisit the site soon when all the details will be posted. Or email [email protected] and we will make sure we send you all the information to make your decision or the link to the updated crowd-funding site.

Tenants of the Yarcombe Estate paying their rent on Lady Day outside the Yarcombe Inn in the 1930s

We have so much to do and so little time. Please help us, get involved or make any suggestions.

Email:                   [email protected]

 Twitter:         @theyarcombeinn

 Facebook:         yarcombeinn

 Photos with thanks: Cathy Derryman, Peter Tarrant, Matthew Tomkinson

This project successfully funded on 6th September 2017