VILLAGERS near Wellington trying to buy their last public house and run it as a community venture have been left with days to save it after a second major blow in two months.

The Globe Inn, Milverton, closed in September despite a plea for residents to make more use of it to help keep the pub open while a fund-raising campaign was ongoing.

Now, Milverton Community Benefit Society chairman William Waddington has told villagers an application for £300,000 of Government funding appears to have failed.

Mr Waddington said the society was initially hopeful a Levelling Up grant would help the campaigners reach their £580,000 target.

But the grant application was suspended by the then-Conservative Government while a General Election was held earlier this year.

Mr Waddington said: “With the election, Government spending has been paused, and it is increasingly unlikely that Levelling Up funds will be available to us anytime soon.”

He said it could be possible to wait until early next year to see if any Government grant opportunities might still come through.

But Mr Waddington said: “However, the recent Budget did not mention any additional Levelling Up funds, and we do not want to rely solely on what may not materialise.”

Only £170,000 to date had been raised from villagers, with just 10 per cent of residents buying shares in the society.

Now, the remaining funds needed to be found by Saturday (November 30).

Mr Waddington said failure to reach the target by the weekend would mean the society beginning ‘the process of refunding shareholders, and our chance to save The Globe will be gone’.

He said if each of Milverton’s 1,500 residents ‘could buy just a few additional shares, we could meet our target’.

Mr Waddington said: “If 700 of us could each purchase five additional shares at £100 per share, we would reach our goal.

“To make this possible, we are asking shareholders to consider increasing your current investment to at least £500.

“And, please, help us find another 550 individuals willing to invest £500.

“We will also reach out to others in the community via the parish magazine, but your help in spreading the word is crucial.

“Without The Globe, we lose not just a place to gather and connect, but a core part of our village’s heart.

“A local pub brings people together, supports a vibrant community, and adds value to our homes, both financially and in quality of life.

“A pub has stood in Milverton for half a millennium, it would be a great loss if it ended with us.”

Shares in Milverton Community Benefit Society can be purchased here.

Mr Waddington said: “We are deeply grateful for every bit of support so far and are hopeful that, together, we can reopen The Globe.

“Please act now, let us make this vision a reality.”

Mr Waddington said if a Levelling Up grant eventually came through, the society would ask investors whether the extra funds should go toward further improvements to The Globe or be returned to shareholders.