A CAMPAIGN that is trying to save a much-loved village pub from permanent closure has been given some heavyweight support.

The Lowther Arms Community Project has now been backed by More Than A Pub, the community pub business support programme.

Based in Mawbray, the community project will receive specialist business advice and a £2,500 bursary from More Than A Pub, a programme established to help support community ownership of pubs in England.

That programme is funded by Power to Change which is being delivered by the Plunkett Foundation in collaboration with Co-op Finance, Key Fund, the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), Co-operative & Mutual Solutions, Pub is the Hub, and the communities ministry.

The chair of the project to save the Lowther Arms – which has been valued at £2.2m – is Chris Atkinson, who said: “We’re delighted to have been awarded support from More Than A Pub. This will make a huge difference to our project.

“We’re just a small, rural community and this award means we can now pay for more specialist advice and kick-start our fundraising campaign.”

The project started last July when a group of locals met to discuss how to save the village pub following a planning application for its change of use to a house. The team is now working with the pub to raise the money to buy it for the community and provide extra service that will benefit everyone.

James Alcock, executive director for the Plunkett Foundation, said: “We’re so pleased to be able to support the Lowther Arms Community Project who are working hard to make sure their community can benefit from everything that having a thriving pub brings.

“Pubs that are owned and run by the community are so much more welcoming than a place to buy a drink; they provide important social spaces and services for local people and are central to their community’s sense of place and identity.”

The next steps will include fundraising events in Mawbray village hall as well as more pop-up pubs and nights out, including a ceilidh with a buffet tomorrow (Saturday), a South African evening on February 8 and entertainment by Renaissance Duo on March 5. Details are at thelowtherarms.co.uk