The Old Forge can only be reached by boat or a two-day hike across the Knoydart Peninsula off the west coast of Scotland. But it is a vital social hub for more than a hundred residents in Inverie, the main settlement. Happy residents say the pub will once again become “the place where everything happens”, having secured its future after 14 months of fundraising. After decades of private ownership, more than 320 320,000 was raised through a community share offering and crowdfunding, as well as funding from the Scottish Land Fund and Community Ownership Fund. This means that there is now enough capital to buy the building and carry out substantial renovations. Map “It’s a bit cliché, but when you live in such a small community, the pub plays a much bigger role than a place to eat and drink,” said Stephanie Harris, secretary of the Old Forge Community Benefit Society, which now owns the cafe. “In the past it was where everything happened: birthdays, weddings, when a new baby was coming home from the hospital which was the first place they visited. “It was the place where everyone gathered.” A local opinion poll on the takeover bid took place last spring, with the answer being almost unanimously in favor. The area has a history of successful community ownership, having secured 17,500 acres of the Knoydart estate, which includes Inverie, in 1999 – one of the first community markets in Scotland. Under the community ownership model, profits will be reinvested in the company, not the shareholders, and wider community projects will be funded. Locals say the pub will once again become “the place where everything happens” The Belgian owner of the pub put it on the market last year, asking for offers over 425,000 pounds. There have been reports in recent years of increasing friction with Knoydart residents, who have expressed concern about its closure during the dark winter months. There were also fears that reduced opening hours, as well as staff reductions, had hampered efforts to attract new people to the area. The pub is also a hub for the area’s tourist trade: Located about 30 miles northwest of Ben Nevis, it is on the main sailing route to Skye, the Outer Hebrides and the Lesser Islands. This attracts yachting enthusiasts as well as hikers and boat travelers. Harris told the Guardian that the community’s plans for Forge were quite simple. “We want to feel welcoming, with friendly staff behind the bar and a budget menu, where families feel comfortable and we will start the music sessions again.” The community aims to reopen on a drink-only basis on Easter weekend, while kitchen renovations continue and it is in the process of hiring staff. Harris says that “a number of locals have already lined up, which is great and means that we are achieving one of our goals of providing new local jobs.”
