The good
- The existing club could still continue if a workable route is agreed.
- 96 people are giving monthly.
- The campaign is building dependable recurring support.
- Operators, funders and specialist advisers can be approached.
Every credible route · worked through in public · updated 25 July 2026
How can we keep
the Workies alive?
We do not know yet. That is the point of this campaign.
The freehold is advertised at a £200,000 guide price for auction on 10 September. A guide price is not a valuation and a sale may be agreed beforehand. That creates real time pressure, but it does not make a community purchase the only possible answer.
The aim is to build enough visible support to reopen every sensible conversation: the existing club continuing, stronger or new management, a suitable operator or partner, or a community purchase if that becomes necessary. No route has been chosen.
£2,500 a month is not a purchase target. It is evidence of dependable support. If it is reached, the committee could choose to meet again and consider whether the club can continue with stronger or new management, further backing and a workable recovery plan. That decision belongs to the committee; this campaign cannot promise it.
The ten-second version
Where we are today
The danger
- The club is expected to close and the property is being marketed.
- No rescue agreement has been made.
- There is no verified recovery budget for any route yet.
- A sale may be agreed before the auction date.
The truth
- The committee and members decide whether the existing club continues.
- £2,500 a month strengthens the case for another conversation; it guarantees nothing.
- Continuation would still need capable management and a transparent plan.
- Community purchase is one option, not the campaign's assumed outcome.
People are currently giving
£608/month
96 monthly supporters and £491 given once.
On the way to the £2,500/month campaign gate
£1,892 still to find
Money updates automatically from the campaign. Last checked 23 July 2026.
Four routes remain open
Four ways the Workies could stay alive
The goal is to keep the Workies alive and useful to the community. Strong monthly support helps every route below. It shows that people will turn up for the place, but each route still needs agreement, responsible management and numbers that work.
Option 4 · contingency work Open the community-purchase detail This work is being kept ready in case it is needed. It is not the campaign's chosen route.
Option 4 only: community purchase
What a responsible purchase would require if chosen
Purchase may never become the chosen route. Preparing it now means the community is not starting from nothing if it becomes necessary. Each job below makes a responsible bid more possible without committing the campaign to make one.
You are here: proving people care while the facts,
rescue options and possible purchase case are assembled.
-
1
Show that people care
MovingMonthly support proves that this is a community asset, not an empty building nobody wants.
Now: 96 people giving £608/month. The first campaign gate is £2,500/month.
Finished when: support is large and steady enough to form part of a believable budget.
-
2
Prepare a possible community buyer
In discussionThe campaign itself cannot buy a property. It needs an incorporated organisation with a bank account, rules, directors and controls acceptable to members and funders.
Finished when: advisers have confirmed the structure and a new community-owned body is incorporated with independent financial controls.
-
3
Obtain the sale and title documents
WaitingThe registered title names four individuals and records a bank charge. The auction legal pack should explain the contract, searches, title documents, completion timetable and special conditions.
We need: the complete legal pack and a solicitor acting for the new community buyer.
Finished when: the solicitor confirms what is being sold, what rights and restrictions apply, and whether the buyer can take clean title.
-
4
Value and inspect the property
Not startedThe £200,000 guide price is a marketing figure, not proof of value. The building may also need substantial repairs and working capital after purchase.
Finished when: an independent valuation and building survey set a rational maximum bid and a costed list of urgent work.
-
5
Build a new operating plan
Not startedCommunity ownership is only sustainable if the future venue can cover staffing, energy, insurance, maintenance and finance from trading plus dependable support.
Minimum team: independent finance lead, legal adviser, experienced venue operator and a board with two-person payment controls.
Finished when: a conservative three-year plan and short-term cash forecast show the new operation can pay its way.
-
6
Secure the funding package
Not appliedThe likely mix is a community-asset loan, eligible capital grant, community shares, donations and possibly commercial or social investment. Pledges support the case; they are not the whole purchase price.
Finished when: the buyer has written eligibility confirmation, finance in principle and enough committed capital to complete and reopen safely.
-
7
Agree a responsible bid
Comes nextThe community should not chase the property at any price. The bid must stay within the valuation, survey allowance, working-capital need and funding conditions.
The deal may be: a pre-auction purchase or an auction bid with finance and authority already in place.
Finished when: the new body approves a hard bid ceiling and its solicitor confirms it can exchange and complete on the required timetable.
-
8
Own it openly and run it well
LaterIf the bid succeeds, the difficult work continues: licences, insurance, repairs, trained staff, stock control, useful events and regular reports members can understand.
Finished when: the Workies pays its way, the building is protected for community benefit and members can see the numbers.
If the community needs to buy it
The pledges are proof, not the purchase price
A community purchase will need several sources working together. The exact mix cannot be set until the legal pack, valuation, survey, eligibility checks and new business plan are complete.
Local pledges
Proof
demand and recurring backing
Grant and asset finance
Capital
subject to eligibility and approval
Community purchase
A bid
only after due diligence
The £200,000 auction guide is not the full cost. A buyer also needs legal and survey fees, any tax, insurance, urgent repairs, equipment and enough working capital to operate safely.
£608
Where we are
Real momentum and useful evidence. Not a funded purchase.
£2,500
First campaign gate
Proof of dependable support that strengthens every rescue conversation.
£5,000
Credible backing
A stronger recurring-income case for the independent business plan.
£10,000
Stronger still
Could reduce borrowing and improve affordability, but guarantees nothing.
Verify
Any route needs numbers people can trust.
Continuing the existing club would need a clear picture of its trading position and commitments. A separate buyer would need reliable purchase, repair and operating costs. This campaign will not assume either route is safe until the relevant figures can be checked.
Two live Welsh routes worth testing immediately
- Community Asset Loan Fund: WCVA advertises loans up to £300,000, including property purchase and up to 100% of property value for eligible community organisations, including qualifying social enterprises. It is a repayable, underwritten loan—not free or promised money.
- Community Facilities Programme: Welsh Government advertises capital grants up to £300,000 for eligible community facilities, including purchase. Its current guidance requires match funding.
These are applications, not entitlements. The new body, project, timetable and costs must pass each funder's assessment.
Who has been contacted
Different people can help with different routes
Nobody below has promised to save the Workies. They have been contacted, spoken to or asked to help with a specific part of the problem.
Plunkett UK
They understand community pubs and clubs. They can advise on viable management, partnership and ownership options.
Chartered accountant
They can test a recovery budget for the existing club, a new operator, a partnership or a possible purchase.
Cwmpas
They can advise on partnerships, co-operatives and community shares if one of those models becomes relevant.
WCVA
They can advise on possible community funding if the organisation and rescue route are eligible.
Specialist solicitor
They can advise on club rules, property ownership, agreements and the safest structure for whichever route moves forward.
Welsh Government and Senedd
They may help identify programmes, funders and public bodies. Political support can open conversations; it is not a funding promise.
An open door is not money in the bank. It means we now have somebody relevant to ask, a clearer question and more than one route to test.
The clock is running
Keep every route moving
The campaign will work the routes in parallel. Reaching the £2,500 monthly gate would provide new evidence for those conversations, but it would not guarantee which answer, if any, is agreed.
What every workable route would need
The facts
- The committee's current position
- Accounts and current commitments where relevant
- Property and auction documents where relevant
- Condition, repair and compliance needs
- A realistic timetable for decisions
The operation
- Capable, accountable management
- A conservative recovery and trading budget
- Staffing, utilities, insurance and maintenance costs
- Licensing, safety and compliance
- Enough cash to operate through the early months
The agreement
- Who owns, manages and makes decisions
- What the committee, owners and partners agree to
- Transparent banking and financial controls
- What local backing will and will not pay for
- How the Workies remains accountable to the community
What “saved” really means
A fundraising target is not the finish line
- The Workies stays open and useful to the community.
- The ownership and operating arrangements are clear.
- The plan is independently affordable.
- Competent, accountable leadership is in place.
- The building's community role is properly protected.
- Trading income and community support cover the real costs.
- Accounts and plain-English money reports are published regularly.
Simple answers to fair questions
Ask us anything
Who is running Save the Workies?
Scott Flear started and currently coordinates the movement with local volunteers. Scott is not a member of the club committee. He and committee member Dale Flear share a surname, which has caused some understandable confusion, but Save the Workies is an independent community campaign.
Could the existing club continue if £2,500 a month is reached?
Possibly. Reaching the target would show new, dependable support and could give the committee a reason to meet again and reconsider the options. The committee and members would make that decision; this campaign cannot force or promise it. Continuing would still require verified finances, a workable recovery plan, capable management and further support or funding.
Does £2,500 a month buy the Workies?
No. It is the campaign's proof-of-support gate. It shows that the community wants the rescue and provides useful recurring-income evidence for every route. It could support a case for the existing club to continue, new management, an operator or partnership. If community purchase becomes necessary, that would still need a legal buyer, due diligence and a much larger finance package.
Will a Welsh Government grant buy it for us?
It may contribute if the new body and project are eligible, but there is no award and no guarantee. The Community Facilities Programme can support eligible purchases; it still requires an application, evidence, assessment and conditions. A loan, community capital or other match may also be needed.
Who actually owns the building?
The Land Registry names four people as the legal owners. They may hold it for the benefit of the club or members, but the title alone does not prove that. The full sale pack and historic documents must be read by the buyer's solicitor.
Has the existing-club route been ruled out?
No. It is one of the clearest routes still worth discussing. The campaign has not yet received the figures needed to build a recovery plan, but reaching the monthly target could justify asking the committee to meet again. If there is agreement, workable management and reliable numbers, keeping the existing club going may be possible.
Are campaign payments meant to clear old debts?
No promise is being made to repay unverified historic liabilities. The campaign has made a refund promise if its first gate is not met. Before funds are committed to property, old liabilities or long-term finance, supporters must be shown the structure, controls, budget and terms.
Who controls campaign funds today?
The Stripe checkout is branded “SAVE THE WORKIES”. No future ownership structure has been chosen. Before any significant rescue spending, the campaign must publish the legal holder of the funds, banking controls, refund arrangements and payment authority. Anyone who needs that information first should wait before supporting.
What happens if the numbers show it cannot work?
We publish the truth. We do not throw good money after bad. We do not bid beyond the community's means. The current automatic refund promise applies if the £2,500/month gate is missed by 1 September; the treatment of payments after the gate still needs to be published.
One useful thing each
Help move the next box
You do not need to understand accounts or property law. If every supporter brings one more monthly supporter, the campaign doubles.
Our promise: facts will be marked as confirmed, reported or still unknown. This page does not accuse anybody. It exists so supporters, workers and the village can see the same rescue picture at the same time.
Human update: 25 July 2026 · Live donation figures refresh automatically.