A community group has raised nearly £100,000 in its bid to purchase a village pub.

The Black Lion Community Group, which was formed in 2023, is aiming to purchase the Black Lion pub in Ireby to prevent it from closing.

As part of its work to purchase the pub, the group made community shares available in April and is seeking to raise £165,000 in order to complete the deal for the pub at an agreed price of £395,000.

For the group, every £400 raised is worth £1,000 in Community Ownership Fund money, a government grant that allows community groups such as The Black Lion to purchase 'assets of community value'.

In its latest update, the community group announced on Monday, September 30 that it has raised £97,318, or 59 per cent of the amount needed to purchase the pub.

Malcolm Boswell is a member of the Black Lion Community Group that is aiming to purchase the village pub and speaking previously, had explained that the group is working to protect one of its community 'assets'.

He said: "It started in the middle of last year, the current owner closed the pub down and that was a bit of a blow to everyone in the village and the surrounding areas and then a very small group agreed to explore taking the pub on with the assistance of the Community Ownership Fund (COF), money that the government makes available to community groups to purchase assets of community value.

"It is a community pub and the efforts of the community will be designed to make sure it meets the needs of the community."

Since the group began its quest to purchase The Black Lion, it has received support from across the county, including from former Conservative MP Mark Jenkinson and Labour MP for Penrith and Solway Markus Campbell-Savours. 

Malcolm believes this support has been tied to an understanding that the loss of the pub in Ireby could lead to increased levels of rural isolation.

He said: "I think it ties into the numerous reports about depopulation in Cumbria, rural isolation, mental health, and health issues and I read a report the other day about how the biggest causes of rural isolation are the lack of a shop, lack of a pub, and lack of a bus."