Save the Blue Bell Campaign Update

Investing in the Blue Bell We are delighted that we have already had several expressions of interest in investing in the pub. We hope to launch the share offer in the late summer. We will of course tell you all about it here in the Village Pump.

Seed funding We plan to launch a crowdfunder appeal soon to raise a fairly small sum to cover initial costs that cannot be avoided, such as registering as a community benefit society, having a survey done of the premises and so on. Keep an eye on our website and Facebook page for details of how to support that.

Private interest in taking over the pub We met recently a couple who manage a successful pub in Great Yarmouth who came to Stoke Ferry to view the Blue Bell. They were really taken with the pub and put in an offer to the owner to take it on a tenancy basis – which the owner says he is open to. However, he rejected their offer.

We will continue to support any potential buyer or tenant who shows an interest in the Blue Bell.

Beer tastings As I write this, we are looking forward to the first Blue Bell online tasting of the Wolf Brewery’s beers on 16th June. If you took part, we hope you enjoyed the beers!

Keep an eye on our website for details of more beer tastings. We hope that soon we will be able to run them face to face!

Date for the diary: Friday 10th June at 7.30pm: Online Wine Tasting

Wine educator Jim Gore will be teaching us how to taste wines. He has chosen red and a white that are widely available.

We bought them at Tesco in Swaffham on 12th June, when they were on sale for £6 and £8 respectively.

To take part in the tasting, you will need to get hold of the wines yourself. They are both great for summer drinking and as we are tasting them on a Friday night, they will be perfect for what we hope will be a sunny weekend.

The wines are:

• Cono Sur Bicicleta Sauvignon Blanc 2019 • Campo Viejo Rioja Reserva 2015

You will also need to email info@bluebellstokeferry.org for instructions on how to join the online tasting session and to make a small donation of £5 that will go towards the funding of the campaign to save the pub for the community!

We hope you can join us to get the weekend off to a fun start!

Stephen Ward Chair Save the Blue Bell