Why the Fox's goose wasn't cooked

This is the heart-warming story of how a small community in West Yorkshire saved a much-loved local. The lesson is simple: pubs don’t have to close. They can be kept free of giant pubcos that will sell them on to property speculators who will turn them into private housing or betting shops.

The Fox & Goose in Hebden Bridge has been a pub since 1702. It’s on the edge of town and took over from a medieval ale house dating from 1583 that stood on a turnpike leading to Todmorden.

Hebden Bridge, population 4,500, is not short of good pubs but the Fox – which has always been a free house -- is held in special affection. The landlady, Julia Warren, had a policy of offering a range of cask beers from small craft breweries on both sides of the Pennines.

But in January 2012 Mrs Warren became seriously ill and wasn’t able to carry on running the pub. She was determined to stop it falling into the hands of a pubco and asked her regulars to consider forming a community group to run the Fox. The reaction was immediate: a meeting chaired by local councillor Dave Young – a regular for 18 years -- attracted 70 people.

They set up a steering group. It was chaired by Dave Young and met on a weekly basis. The major challenge was to raise enough money to both pay off Julia Warren’s mortgage and debts, buy the building and carry out much-needed improvements. It was vital that everything was done legally, to the letter. The group drew up a constitution, joined the Co-operative Enterprise Hub, had the building valued and held fund-raising events. Members of the steering group made the long journey to Hesket Newmarket in Cumbria to see how Britain’s first co-operative pub, the Old Crown, was set up.

The Friends of the Fox found there was no shortage of help. As well as the Old Crown, advice came from Co-ops UK and the Plunkett Foundation, both which have sound track records in helping communities save pubs, post office and shops. As a result of the advice, the steering group was turned into a co-operative provident society called Fox & Goose (Hebden Bridge) Ltd and the pub was successfully registered as an Asset of Community Value: ACV status comes with a six-month cooling-off period that’s designed to prevent predators buying a pub over the heads of the locals.

There were problems along the way. The first offer to buy the pub for £110,000 was turned down. As a result of her illness, Julia Warren was declared bankrupt and an insolvency practitioner was appointed.

When bailiffs arrived, they stripped the pub of its fixtures and fittings. The fervent support for the Fox was spotlighted when locals staggered up the steep hill out of Hebden Bridge with replacement furniture. The pub was up and running again within two hours. While further funds were being raised, the Fox operated as a “pop up pub”, run by manager Trevor Cobb and trade was brisk.

As well as the local press, the co-op’s directors (pictured above, Cllr Dave Young second left) used social media to spread their story far and wide. Last November, 262 shareholders throughout Britain had banded together to raise £130,000. The bid was accepted and the co-op was able to pay off Julia Warren and had sufficient funds left to tackle repairs and refurbishment. Costs have been cut to the bone: Timothy Taylor, the family brewer in Keighley, sold the co-op furniture, light fittings and a glass washer for the knockdown price of just £250.

The pub had to be thoroughly cleaned to meet hygiene standards and there are plans in hand to decorate the exterior of the Fox and to extend the cramped ground floor beer “cellar”, where casks have to be stored upright rather than stillaged.

Trevor Cobb, his cellarman and bar manager are paid the living wage rather than the minimum wage. All the shareholders have just one vote each when called upon to decide on a policy for the pub. The biggest investor has shares worth £15,000, many others have invested £100 each.

On 22 March, the good folk of Hebden Bridge turned out in force for the official opening of the Fox & Goose co-op pub. Customers were “danced in” by an all-women Morris group called the Hill Millies: the name recalls Hebden Bridge’s industrial past as a mill town.

It’s a different town today. It’s home to a vibrant community that includes artists, poets, writers and media people. Locals can commute easily to Leeds and Manchester. With the River Calder and a working canal running through the town, plus excellent local amenities and stunning countryside, it attracts new residents from far and wide.

In the wrong hands, the Fox would almost certainly been turned into private housing. But it remains a pub and, despite the fact that it serves only cask ale and cider, with no draught lager or keg beer, it’s attracting a young and enthusiastic crowd. A beer festival is planned for 23-26 May, with a greatly expanded range of beers.

The community spirit that saved the Fox & Goose is an inspiration. If your pub is threatened, the advice is simple: Follow the Fox.

*Print version: Publican’s Morning Advertiser 17 April 2014.