A THANK YOU TO ALL OUR SUPPORTERS AND FOLLOWERS
First, a huge thank you to all our supporters and followers. Without you, we would not have been able to have the pub listed as an ACV, or feel strong enough to proceed to the next stage, which we are going to do. More of this below.
PLEDGES - WHY WE NEED YOUR HELP !
We know all our supporters want to see the pub open again but the community can’t own the pub unless we buy it. To buy it we need money from you. For too long, especially since COVID, pubs have been allowed to wither and die. None of us wants that. Help us today by pledging any amount you can afford without obligation. Small or big, anything you give will make a big difference. If you can’t help financially, no worries, you would be doing us a great service by simply telling anyone you know that we need their help.
If you can help, please complete the pledges form on our site. We don’t need any money right now. Later, when we have completed our business plan, we will contact everyone again with details on how to buy the shares.
https://surfleetshipmates.org.uk/pledges/
https://surfleetshipmates.org.uk/financing/
Finally, a special thanks to all of you who have pledged already. Look out for the ‘pledge-ometer’ on the web site where you can see the total pledged so far.
DID YOU KNOW - WE WERE IN THE NEWS !
Friday 14 August was good day for the campaign. We featured significantly on local and national iTV news https://surfleetshipmates.org.uk/shipmates-on-tv/ and had a great supporting article written - https://surfleetshipmates.org.uk/itv-article/
AUGUST COMMUNITY MEETING UPDATE
On 12 August 2026, the Shipmates Board held their first community meeting at the Fraiser Room to inform everyone of the current status and direction and take questions on it. Additionally, we presented the findings of our recent viewing of the property as well the outcome of the recent survey. The meeting was well attended and interest was high given the mid-week event and the co-incidence with the Solar Eclipse. Meeting notes, survey results and meeting minutes are found here
https://surfleetshipmates.org.uk/august-community-meeting/
NEW PLANNING RULES - SET TO HELP US MORE
As well as the laws giving communities rights to bid for an Asset of Community Value, the government has now given effect to new rules which will force developers who want to redevelop a pub into dwellings or similar to prove there is no prospect of keeping it pub open. Only then will the planning authorities permit a change of use. This could be another plus point for our campaign to keep the pub in the community. The BBC covered this change well in their article found here.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyllg1v0kdo
GETTING INVOLVED
Fund raising is the most important aspect of this project. There are many ways of doing this and not enough hours in the day to do them all. So, if you have time to spare and have some ideas get in touch as soon as you can and we can work together to spread the word.
HOW TO STAY IN TOUCH
you can stay in touch in the following ways:
web site: https://surfleetshipmates.org.uk
facebook: www.facebook.com/surfleetshipmates
New - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/surfleetshipmates .
We prefer to use web site and emails as the main way we stay in touch. Social media has its uses, but we have no control over algorithms and so there is no guarantee that you will see what we want you to when we want you to see it. We do however, post everything on our web site. So, that is the best way to stay abreast of what we are doing.
NEXT STEPS
The Shipmates Board met recently and confirmed the desire to formalise and legalise the Surfleet Shipmates Community Project. This means we will register special type of ‘company’ with the authorities, which will be used to legally raise money and buy the pub. We will also be developing the plan for the business so investors, small and big, can assess the viability of the future business and decide whether or not to buy shares in it. No doubt there is a lot of work ahead and pledges are key to our assessment of the community’s willingness to invest in its own future.
Please pledge and spread the word.
WE NEED YOUR HELP !