16 October 2012
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, MP for The Cotswolds, has joined the campaign to save the Halfway House pub in Box from closure. The pub was closed in July by owners the Novalis Trust, and the local residents have been campaigning to have the pub reopened ever since.
Mr Clifton-Brown, along with local Councillor Dorcas Binns, attended a meeting in Box village hall on Friday 12th October, where roughly 75 local residents came together to express their concerns over the pubs closure.
The meeting was organised and chaired by Mr Sean Kelly, who has been leading the campaign to save the pub. Speaking after the meeting, Mr Kelly commented that “It’s [the Halfway House] more than just a pub, it’s quite an important community centre and used for numerous functions,”
Speaking after the meeting, Mr Clifton-Brown described his thoughts on the meeting:
“There was a lot of passion at the meeting which does indicate that there’s a real problem here with the community and the whole relationship with the Novalis Trust - I think that’s something we must try and heal.
“It always comes as a great disappointment to me when I hear of local pubs closing, especially in the more rural areas of the Cotswolds. On average 12 pubs are closing every week in the UK at the moment, and this is a trend I am keen to see be reversed.”
Mr Clifton-Brown, along with local Councillor Dorcas Binns, attended a meeting in Box village hall on Friday 12th October, where roughly 75 local residents came together to express their concerns over the pubs closure.
The meeting was organised and chaired by Mr Sean Kelly, who has been leading the campaign to save the pub. Speaking after the meeting, Mr Kelly commented that “It’s [the Halfway House] more than just a pub, it’s quite an important community centre and used for numerous functions,”
Speaking after the meeting, Mr Clifton-Brown described his thoughts on the meeting:
“There was a lot of passion at the meeting which does indicate that there’s a real problem here with the community and the whole relationship with the Novalis Trust - I think that’s something we must try and heal.
“It always comes as a great disappointment to me when I hear of local pubs closing, especially in the more rural areas of the Cotswolds. On average 12 pubs are closing every week in the UK at the moment, and this is a trend I am keen to see be reversed.”
