More than a pub
The George is a 500-year-old Grade II listed pub that has been saved by the Wickham Market community from certain demolition and, in the process, a new and unique community asset has been created.
Carefully renovated with wide doors and a lift The George provides access to all areas so that everyone has the option to visit and engage with available activities. Not only will The George Community Pub be a bustling social place where people can spend time together over a drink or a meal, there is also a fully- equipped Activity Room.
As part of our professional management team, we have employed a Community Engagement Co-ordinator whose job is to maximize the benefits of the first-floor Activity Room to our village and the surrounding area. Their role is to promote the room as a place for events, classes, workshops and social activities and to ensure all those who may be more vulnerable and otherwise excluded are offered funded activities designed to support their individual wellbeing needs.
The George is a Community Benefit Society with over 460 shareholders and formed to serve the broader interests of Wickham Market. This means that any profit after costs can be invested back into the community.
Our Hanging Sign and the legend of St George
An important part of the restoration process and re-opening of The George was to design a new brand image and hanging sign.
The George was not, as was thought, named after an English King, but, like the hundreds of ancient Inns in England with that name (over 400), the origin goes back over a thousand years to the legend of St. George’s battle against a dragon. The story was that St. George had saved a princess from being devoured by a dragon which had been terrorising a village. St George was made patron saint of England by Edward III in 1348; Edward admired his ‘courage to face adversity to defend the innocent, the triumph of good over evil, through courage’.
King Richard II passed a law in 1393 requiring that all inns displayed a sign outside advertising their trade. The signs would have no writing on them, as very few people could read. A visitor to Wickham Market in the Middle Ages would have been told to ‘look for the sign of St George’ if he was seeking food, drink and lodging.
Our new ‘sign of St George’, like its Medieval predecessors, has no writing upon it, but depicts St George on his horse, fighting the dragon. The sign has been designed by a local artist and created by a local signwriter. The diamond-shaped ‘lozenges’ in the background are a heraldic device representing ‘consistency and longevity’ – most certainly true in the case of St George!
The Society
Equal voting rights means shareholders belong to a truly democratic organisation
The George Community Pub (Wickham Market) Limited (TGCP) is a Community Benefit Society (CBS) that was formed to purchase, renovate and save the last and only pub in Wickham Market and secure its future for the benefit of the village.
TGCP is run by a management committee made up of local people with the expertise and enthusiasm to help bring this idea into reality. Shareholders will become members, with equal voting rights regardless of the size of their shareholding. This means that it is a truly democratic organisation.
Our rules contain a statutory asset lock. This is a constitutional device that prevents the distribution of residual assets to members. The purpose of the asset lock is to ensure that the community benefit of any retained surplus or residual value cannot be appropriated for the private benefit of members after all members’ share capital has been refunded.
The Business Plan
A professional team will be employed to lead the day-to-day operation
The George Community Pub (TGCP) will be the owner of The George and will employ a manager and staff for the day-to-day operation of the pub.
We will establish broad operating principles for the pub which represent the express interests of the community. We will select a professional manager who understands our principles and who can demonstrate a good business plan for the supply of food and drink together with the experience to manage members of staff and customers. The TGCP committee will respect the responsibility of the manager and operate in a supportive role with a light touch on operational matters.
Our overheads will be set to a level that will provide income for us to maintain the building. When cash reserves permit (targeted after 3 years from opening) we may pay a modest interest to member shareholders and permit the withdrawal of shares from time to time.