14/09/2026
BLUE BELL COMMUNITY PUB UPDATE
Thank you to those of you who took the time to return the slips, showing interest in the pub opening and the idea of a community pub.
Of the approximate 100 households in East Drayton, plus the followers on the History of The Blue Bell page – the feedback from the slips was as follows:
• 12 slips were returned – one of those was anonymous
• 23 people in the village would be prepared to use the pub if it were open - 2 people would use the pub daily, 11 weekly, 5 fortnightly, 5 monthly
• 17 people in the village would be prepared to volunteer their time in the pub - 8 on a weekly basis, 2 fortnightly, 1 monthly and 6 occasionally, 2 never
• Volunteer Skills that have been offered range from Retailing, Community Pub Prior Experience, DIY, Bar Skills, Cooking, Gardening, Maintenance, Handyman, Construction, Cleaning and Committee experience
• 11 people are prepared to invest in the Community Pub Idea – however a number of these were not prepared to reveal to what level they would invest, so the total amount declared from 6 slips was £12,250 (with pledges ranging from £50 to £5000).
• It is worth noting that John & Sharon Collins have declared they are prepared to contribute £50k to the Community Pub Idea – If there is enough interest in raising the additional capital to purchase the pub. However, they are equally happy to be excluded from the idea if that is not route prospective investors wish to pursue.
SUMMARY
Whilst there is clearly some support within the village, it is disappointing that so few people made the effort to fill in the slips, even to just pledge their support for the pub if it were open.
It is encouraging however that there are a number of people prepared to offer their time to volunteer within the pub covering a good range of skill and experience.
At this stage the lack of financial support means that the Community Pub idea from this poll would not be remotely possible.
However, Alex Tod who helped coordinate the slip process, will discuss this further with those individuals who have declared an interest in funding the purchase of the pub, but not the amount they are prepared to contribute, to see if there is any possibility of the scheme coming to fruition, and also include the possibility of the funding from John & Sharon Collins
Until this process has been investigated further, the information provided would suggest that there is a lack of support for the pub within the village, and too few people prepared to contribute to raise the necessary funding to make it happen – however there may be a view that this may not fully represent the views of the village, just their lack of interest in completing the slips for the process.
