The co-operative group who have been raising money to take over the Fox have finally reached their target and are planning to purchase the pub.
The pub was formerly the best one in Hebden Bridge but has declined in recent years. Hopefully improvements are on the way!
More at
I'm not convinced that becoming a 'Community pub' - whatever that really means is necessarily a solution.
Community pubs seem to work best in isolated places where there's only one pub and there's more incentive to keep that pub going. Hebden Bridge has some good alternatives.
It closed in the first place because the locals didn't want to use it. Most pubs rely on local trade.
Perhaps the biggest mistake a "community pub" can make is tying itself to buying beer from one brewer, maybe as a result of obtaining a loan or for services rendered.
In my experience, another mistake is running the pub by committee and with volunteer staff that don't offer customer service.
After being closed for a week for cleaning and refurbishment the pub was finally opened by the co-operative on Saturday 23rd March.
Quite a good crowd in including a few former regulars. Beer lines have been replaced so quality was good. Hope it stays that way!
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