The Drewe Arms: reviving a historic pub and creating community

Like many English villages, Drewsteignton in Devon has seen its public spaces dwindle. So when much loved local pub the Drewe Arms shut its doors – after the closure of the village shop and post office – the locals decided they’d had enough and had to take action. 

Dating back to the 17th century, the pub is Grade II listed and a recipient of CAMRA’s Heritage Pub of the Year. For more than seven decades it was home to the oldest serving landlady in the country – Mabel, who kept it open every single day from 1919 to 1994. 

When Mabel – affectionately known by the villagers as ‘Auntie’ – retired aged 99, the Drewe Arms had a succession of owners that saw it gradually fall into neglect and decline. 

“In late 2022, after closing during Covid, a for sale sign went up outside the pub. So a group of us got together to see what we could do. By this point, the church was the only public indoor space in the village,” said local resident Jane Martin. 

With help and advice from Plunkett UK, villagers rallied and a steering committee was formed. “We took Plunkett’s advice and set up Drewsteignton Community Benefit Society,” Jane continued. “Then we realised we had to make a share offer.”

That’s where the Community Shares Booster Fund came in. The group applied for grant funding to help prepare their share offer and received £4,820. 

“The grant funding made the whole venture feel official. We’re all volunteers, so it gave us access to people who could guide us. That was so phenomenally helpful.”

With the grant, Jane and her team paid for professional advice, business consultancy and support in gaining the Community Shares Standard Mark – a guarantee of a quality share offer. 

“We had a lot of help from community shares practitioner Dave Boyle who was brilliant in helping us with our strategy and the steps we needed to take. The Booster Fund grant paid for some of this time.” 

With this help – and a plethora of useful skills on their team – Drewsteignton Community Benefit Society launched a hugely successful share offer in September 2023, which saw them raise more than £555,000 from some 600 investor members when the offer closed in November. 

“We were the first community pub to offer SEIS and EIS tax relief to community shares investors, which was an even greater incentive to invest,” said Jane. SEIS and EIS are government initiatives that give back to investors 30% (EIS) or 50% (SEIS) of their investment as a reduction in their income tax bill.

The Drewe Arms opened its doors once again in March 2024 and, with the local community behind it, is serving the needs of that community in many different ways. 

“The pub has a hall at the back where we’re doing yoga classes, craft sessions, wreath making at Christmas and more. We’re building on local skills and interests. Someone has donated a table tennis table for the teenagers. 

“We’ve had a band on and a Burns Night village supper too. We now have 600 shareholders. Everybody feels invested. It’s our pub – and we’re working hard to make it more than a pub.”

“Buses are every two hours, it’s a long walk to anywhere and there are a lot of people in the village without transport. The pub gives them somewhere to go if they are feeling a bit lonely. We have log fires. It’s nice and cosy – and there’s always someone to talk to.

“A lot of the young people in the village work here. It gives them work experience and a way to earn money. The pub also creates a really strong sense of pride and cohesion – a sense of ‘We’ve done this.’”

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