A Swaledale pub is set to reopen next month as efforts by the local community to purchase the premises continue.
The King’s Head in Gunnerside closed in August.
However, local residents have launched a campaign to buy the pub and run it for the benefit of the local community.
As part of those efforts, local couple Fiona and Neil Bowe have taken on a lease and will reopen the pub from November 3.
Residents have formed the Gunnerside Pub Fund working group in an attempt to buy the property.
They say the pub will only have a secure future if it is community ownership.
They added in a statement on social media this week: “During the last few weeks we have received very substantial promises to purchase shares and we believe many people who have not yet offered will do so once they have had more details.
“This momentum of support presents an opportunity, which may not come again, to make a community owned pub a reality.
“The volunteer working group will now proceed to explore how this can best be achieved.”
The volunteers are taking advice from the Plunkett Foundation, who worked with residents in Hudswell when they bought their village pub, on the most appropriate company structure.
They added: “We will be contacting all of you who have expressed a wish to invest with more details in the coming days.”
“Anyone else who would like to be part of this project please contact us on our email address gunnersidepubfund@gmail.com
“In the meantime, congratulations and good luck to Fiona and Neil. We look forward to seeing everyone in the pub.”
The pub is on the market for £295,000.
