Village pub group cheers £95k grant

OVER £95,000 of funding has been secured by a Brydekirk group to purchase their community pub.

The Brig Inn Community Pub and Hub group was one of three in the region to secure a share of £2.1 million from the Scottish Land Fund earlier this week.

The once bustling inn has stood empty since it closed during the pandemic. It was later sold to housing developers, whose plans sparked deep concern among villagers and led to the formation of an action group to save it.

The recent grant of £95,110 will be put towards the purchase of the village pub, thereafter it will be refurbished into a community-owned pub and hub. It will offer a licensed cafe/bar serving food and drink, a small community shop, and a flexible space for community groups to use. A later development will be to refurbish the upstairs two-bedroom flat to provide accommodation for affordable rent.

Group chair Isabel Martin is delighted the project can now move forward. She said: “What started as an enthusiastic idea has, with this funding, now provided a foundation for us to recreate the Brig Inn as the village place that delivers warm and welcoming licensed hospitality and a community space.

“This is both exciting and daunting as we continue to plan the details of purchase, extensive refurbishment and the potential use for community owned self-contained accommodation.”

However, despite this pivotal milestone, a funding gap still remains, meaning the community must urgently raise additional funds to be in a fighting chance to secure the keys ahead of the March 2026 deadline.

Isabel added: “The work ahead is both exciting and daunting as we plan the purchase, extensive refurbishment and the potential for community-owned accommodation.”

Follow their progress on Facebook.