A drive to get a pub back up and running via community ownership is nearing completion as paid-for shares have passed the halfway mark.

The Save our Samson Inn campaigners now have £71,000 in paid shares, meaning they now need £61,000 by May 4 to achieve their goal.

The Samson Inn, which was used by the community and tourists alike, closed in October 2022.

Not wanting it to sit empty for several years, residents formed a campaign group called Save Our Samson (SOSamson), from which Gilsland Community Benefit Society Limited (GCBSL) was created.

The group applied for a  Community Ownership Fund grant earlier this year and they have been awarded £198,658 in capital funding and £17,181 in revenue funding.

READ MORE: Mission to buy Samson Inn in Gilsland nears victory after pledge surge

“We’ve seen an amazing response, and to have £71,000 come in over Easter has just been fantastic,” said chair of SOSamson Jane McDaid.

They’re still looking for tenants and have since received two responses to an advert which was recently issued in the local press.

The group plans to open the pub in July, ideally with a tenant, but a short-term solution of relying on volunteers to run the pub will be used if a tenant is not available for that date.

The July date will mean the pub will be ready to serve summer customers and tourists who often stopped at the inn when it was open doing walks on Hadrian’s Wall.

Tenants are still being sought, and people who believe they’re up for the task are encouraged to call the chair at 07970 895970 for more information.