Pub campaign backed by EastEnders actor falls short

Campaigners have said their seven-month effort to save a village pub has proved unsuccessful.

The Littlebury Community Pub Campaign - which was backed by actor Cliff Parisi - raised money to buy The Queen's Head near Saffron Walden in Essex.

But the owner Greene King said it instead accepted an offer by another "local individual with strong links to the village".

In a statement on its website, the campaign group thanked people for their support and said it looked forward to "welcoming the new owners".

The campaign committee said Greene King told them it accepted a "stronger proposal" from the other party.

"I would like to thank each and every one of you for helping us get this far with your pledges, support, and enthusiasm," they said in an online statement.

Call the Midwife actor Parisi told the BBC in December how the whole village had chipped in to raise £350,000 for the purchase, including children who "raided their piggy banks" and older residents who offered up pension money.

"It's like old people planting trees - you do something to sustain for the future," he explained.

Also speaking last month, campaigner Jonathan Ashe, 53, said the pub had only been closed for six months, but the community "really felt the difference".

The pub has been recognised as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) - meaning it has been protected from certain development, such as being sold off for housing or retail.

The campaigners said they would work with the local parish council to ensure its ACV status would be renewed.

They also warned that the existing sale could "fall through".

A Greene King spokesperson said: "The pub will be purchased by a local individual with strong links to the village who has assured us it will be run by an experienced local pub operator and will continue to serve the local community going forward."

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