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Metro
19-07-2025
- Business
- Metro
How a generation-bending TikTok campaign saved a local boozer
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video On Monday, the Elm Tree Inn in Dorset reopened its doors for the first time since 2023. The pub was one of many victims of the coronavirus pandemic and rising costs, with the community saying they were left 'devastated' after its former owners were forced to close it down. So what led to its reopening? Was it a local businessperson snapping it up, or a larger pub chain buying it? Nope – in fact it was down to locals in the village of Langton Herring managed to raise hundreds of thousands of pounds to save their boozer thanks to a viral TikTok campaign. Martin Pearson, organiser at the Friends of the Elm Tree Inn campaign, said they are not taking the reopening for granted and hope they will be able to keep the pub running for many years to come. The long-term village resident told Metro: 'The previous owner's business model basically didn't work, they were running it as a fairly high-end gastropub, and so they suddenly announced it was closing. 'They were looking for tenants to take it over, and that didn't happen. 'Going back in history we had already secured the pub as an asset of community value with the council, so as soon as it went on the market to be sold, it had to be offered to the community, and then we'd have six months to raise the money to negotiate a sale. 'What we wanted to do was have a cooperative organisation that enabled you to have shareholders, one member one vote, for anyone who participated in the buyout. 'The pub has been here for at least 400 years, although it's changed over time the original building is still the core of the pub. 'We're a relatively small village, about 120 people, and there's a small village hall, the church, and the pub, nothing else. We've got a bus shelter but no buses, no post office, no shop. So really the pub was the place where people connected. 'The absolute priority was retaining the pub for the community. It's been important for the life of the village for hundreds of years and it still is now.' Sarah de Warren, who was brought up in Langton Herring, came up with the idea for the generation-bending TikTok publicity campaign, which quickly went global. Martin explained: 'I think 'crazy' is the best word to describe that. It had a couple of impacts, it raised more money than we would have been able to raise locally, but also it spread the word about the place. 'I think because of that, people bought into the story, into the image of a quintessential English village. 'It also motivated us as well. Initially it was quite a daunting prospect to try and raise around £800,000 in total, we had an absolute deadline to get the money in, we did concerts and quiz nights and all of those things. 'Sarah said 'You're never going to raise that amount of money selling jam', so she did some clever script writing and really cajoled people into doing the skits, which they did, and that managed to spread the word around the world.' But what about the future of the Elm Tree Inn? With one pub set to close down every day in 2025, the future isn't looking particularly bright for Britain's boozers. Blaming business rates and beer duty, the British Beer and Pub Association warns 5,600 jobs could be lost if 378 pubs close this year as predicted. But as we've seen three heatwaves practically back-to-back, punters have been descending upon pub gardens up and down the country for a crisp cool pint or a G&T with friends and family. Pub group Young's, which has 180 boozers in London and the south east of England, saw an increase in turnover of 6.6% in the 14 weeks to July 8 as drinkers make the most of long stretches of sun. More importantly, the humble pub is often the heart and soul of a local community – which is probably why several campaigns to buy and reopen village pubs have been successful in recent years. The Rising Sun in Woodcroft, Gloucestershire, reopened in 2022 after an 11-year battle to stop the building being developed into flats, while the Martyrs Inn in Tolpuddle, Dorset, managed to reopen three years after closing down. Both efforts included a public fundraising campaign, a method also being utilised by supporters of the Britannia Inn in Wells, Somerset. Martin told Metro how he hopes his beloved boozer will withstand the test of time. 'We wanted to adapt it so it really fitted in much better with the life of the community and people who come here,' he said. More Trending 'We are in an area of outstanding natural beauty, the pub's in a conservation area, but also we have a lot of people coming here to bird watch and visit wildflower meadows. 'When they're here they quite like to pop into a pub to get a bite to eat or have a coffee, and there's nowhere here to do that any more. 'The new tenants are local and have experience working in the pub trade and with local food suppliers. One of our key focuses is to keep it local in terms of the beers we have and the food offering as much as possible. 'We've done our homework, we've taken account of all of those industry issues, it's not to say it's going to be easy, hospitality is a hard business to be in, but we're mindful of that and we think we can make it work.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: 'I was scared of being judged' – The last taboo of motherhood MORE: London's 'grown up' ice cream pairings and 14 more things to try this weekend MORE: I tried an 'espresso lemonade' — can it match the beloved iced latte?
BBC News
03-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Elm Tree Inn campaign success prompts US launch, firm says
An online fundraising firm has said it has been inspired to expand to the United States following the success of a campaign to save a village said 1,697 Americans gave money to help villagers in Langton Herring, Dorset, buy the Elm Tree Inn in pub, which closed in November 2023, is due to reopen on 10 said it would seek similar community projects in the US. Villagers raised more than £550,000 for the pub, through an online appeal for donations, a prize draw and other schemes. They achieved global fame through a TikTok video featuring Gen Z slang, which has been viewed more than 1.5 million Elm Tree campaign was a "lightbulb moment", according to Crowdfunder's joint chief executive Simon said: "Watching Americans rally around a pub they'd never visited, in a village they'd never heard of, simply because they understood its importance to community life – that told us everything we need to know about American values." The Elm Tree Inn will have a special "Thank You America" wall with messages from US supporters, Crowdfunder firm, founded in 2010, has so far helped to raise money for 80,000 projects in the UK. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
27-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Elm Tree Inn: Campaigners announce they have saved village pub
Campaigners fighting to save a village pub say they have successfully completed the in Langton Herring, Dorset, posted Gen Z-themed TikTok videos as part of their fundraising efforts to buy the Elm Tree Inn, which closed in November group, Friends of the Elm Tree Inn, has now announced the sale has gone a statement, they explained they still needed funds to reduce the amount of loans they had to take out to buy the pub in the timescale set. The group has raised more than £550,000 but said it is still working to reach its £650,000 their latest announcement, they explained they had interviewed prospective tenant landlords and hoped "to make further announcements about that as soon as we have concluded the agreement with them". The group explained they aim to fully re-open the Elm Tree by early statement added: "Only just over six months ago we started the campaign to buy the Elm Tree for the community, and since then we have managed to purchase the pub and its contents with the help of additional loans, which we want to pay off as soon as possible."Support has poured in from across the globe, from places we least expected, as well as those close to us in Dorset. We can't thank those people who contributed to this success enough."The campaign earned worldwide support after its Gen Z-themed TikTok videos went videos saw residents adopt youth slang in a bid to get their message across to younger videos have clocked up millions of views and generated support and donations from as far afield as Brazil, Singapore, Australia and South Africa. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
11-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Elm Tree Inn: Campaigners' offer to buy village pub accepted
Campaigners fighting to save a village pub say their offer to buy it has been in Langton Herring, Dorset, posted Gen Z-themed Tik Tok videos as part of their fundraising efforts to buy the Elm Tree Inn, which closed in November group has raised more than £500,000 and is still working to reach its £650,000 for prospective tenant landlords will be held in the coming weeks. A spokesperson said: "We are pleased to say that we have been able to make an offer for the freehold of the Elm Tree, and the current owner has accepted the offer, subject to contract."The campaign by Friends of the Elm Tree Inn earned worldwide support after its Gen Z-themed Tik Tok videos went videos saw residents adopt youth slang in a bid to get their message across to younger one clip, villager Hilary Warren urges viewers to "be an Elm Tree stan and help these boomers save their pub".The videos have clocked up millions of views and generated support and donations from as far afield as Brazil, Singapore, Australia and South Africa. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
27-02-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Villagers raise £600k needed to buy Langton Herring pub
Campaigners who went viral with their take on a Gen Z TikTok trend have raised £600,000 in a bid to buy their village Elm Tree Inn in Langton Herring, near Weymouth closed its doors in November Friends of the Elm Tree group posted a video about the pub in January as villages rallied to get the money group, who met the target through fundraising and shares in the business, had until 3 March to submit a bid to the owner. 'Be a stan' Alan Cooper of Friends of the Elm Tree said it was a "daunting mountain" to raise the amount needed."But I am happy to say that the villagers have been incredible and we are just about there," he said the group expected to put in a bid to purchase the pub on Friday."The owner is not obliged to accept the offer but we hope very, very much that he will."Having the village without its pub is only half a village," he short video clips on social media saw the village's baby boomers adopt youth slang in a bid to get their message across to younger one clip, villager Hilary Warren, urges viewers to "be an Elm Tree stan and help these boomers save their pub".The video has currently been viewed more than 2.3m times and attracted support from as far afield as Brazil and Canada. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
