Community praised for saving Yorkshire local

A group of campaigners have been recognised by CAMRA after they saved the Puzzle Hall Inn in Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire. 

The Puzzle Hall Community Pub Ltd, a not-for-profit Community Benefit Society, raised £172,860 from the local community to purchase and refurbish the Puzzle Hall Inn, which was fast falling into a derelict state. As a result, the group was awarded the Pub Saving Award by CAMRA.

Crowd funding to save the local launched in 2017 and campaigners received critical social investment and support from Big Society Capital, More than a Pub fund, the Plunkett Foundation, Calderdale and the Key Fund. With their help, an offer was made on the pub the following year. After extensive refurbishments, the venue reopened in December 2019.

"Obviously, when we took on this project in 2017, we were in a very different situation to the one we face today with Covid restrictions," says ​Sam Irvine from the Puzzle Hall Community Pub Limited. "My hope is that we’ll be able to reopen the pub as soon as possible so that it can continue to serve as an intrinsic hub to the local community.”