A campaign is underway to prevent time being called for good at a village pub.

Villagers in Stockbury have joined forces in an attempt to secure the future of The Harrow in The Street.

The Shepherd Neame pub is on the market for £310,000 and a group of residents intend to buy it and run it.

Chris Porter, a retired marketing director who has lived near The Harrow for 28 years, is one of those leading the campaign. “At the beginning of September, Shepherd Neame informed the parish council they were putting the pub on market,” he said.

“There was a fear it could become a private dwelling which would be a tragedy.

“I thought we should try and buy it. We arranged a meeting in the village hall and I had no idea how much interest there would be.

“I had a bet with a mate who said eight people would come. I said maybe 40. We got 120.”

With the backing of the village, a second meeting was held and people were invited to buy shares, at £200 each. There are now 90 shareholders and well over half the £200,000 target has been raised, with the rest accessible through grants and loans. But more investors are needed.

"This is a great example of a community getting together and doing something really positive" - Chris Porter

“People have invested not to make money but because they want a local amenity that will be there for them to use,” said Mr Porter, 67, who has two children and four grandchildren. “All these people have an interest in using the pub.

“Too many are closing, and they’re closing because they are not places people want to go. There are plenty that are really successful and The Harrow has been in the past.

“We want it to be nice place to come, serving good beer and local food, sourced locally and cooked on the premises.”

The pub, which dates back more than 200 years, is currently open only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

In 2015, the parish council took the precaution of having it listed as an “asset of community value”, effectively protecting its use as a pub until July 2020.

The group has been supported by the Plunkett Foundation, which helps set up community co-operatives. A business plan has been drawn up, with input from people who have run pubs.

It has until the end of March to agree a sale with Shepherd Neame.

If successful, the plan is to run the venue as a community pub, possibly hosting other events such as coffee mornings.

“I feel passionately that we need to keep local resources like this because once it’s gone, it’s gone forever,” Mr Porter added.

“This is a great example of a community getting together and doing something really positive.

“We are not there yet but we are at the point where we strongly believe we are going to get there.”

Anyone interested in getting involved, regardless of where they are from, should email stockburypub@gmail.com or click here