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Support in high places for Henry Jenkins campaign!

Thank you to everyone who braved the foul weather to join us for our AGM last Monday – including several newcomers to the village.

We were delighted to receive support for our campaign from our first speaker York & North Yorkshire Deputy Mayor Pete Kilbane.
Coun Kilbane, who’s a founder member of York’s first community pub, promised to do what he can to help smooth the way towards a community buyout here in Kirby and gave us some useful contacts. He also talked about how the Golden Ball is now one York’s busiest pubs following a community buyout – and the the great success of so many other community-owned pubs, here in Yorkshire and across the country.

We’re also grateful to our second speaker, Paul Whiteside, from the newly reopened Black Lion community pub at Skelton-on-Ure. Paul told us how the village used professional contractors and volunteer skilled and unskilled labour to transform the Golden Lion from its former derelict state to a thriving pub run by live-in tenants plus a profitable, volunteer-run cafe.

HJCP’S chair Richard Sadler reported that, as most of you will be aware, we lost out on £330,000 Government grant funding last year – because of the Jenks’ owner’s refusal to sell at a reasonable price and North Yorkshire Council’s reluctance to consider compulsory purchase.

The strategy now is twofold:

• To continue behind-the-scenes discussions with NYC to find a way of ending the stalemate.
  On the latter point, we’re unable reveal any details at this stage but we’re cautiously optimistic a solution may be found.
• To continue building up deposits from shareholders so we’re in the strongest possible position to secure the pub at a future date and to qualify for match grant funding. We’re also looking to emulate other community pub groups by launching a new crowdfunding initiative .

Our treasurer, Andy, reported that deposits from share purchases have already reached £147,000 – a fantastic achievement.
A big thank you to everyone who’s bought their shares! Please keep spreading the word and think of friends, neighbours and colleagues who might be tempted to buy a share to help secure our historic Yorkshire pub! Finally Richard Hughes, a parish council member and owner of Ripon’s Manchega restaurant, made a strong case for why the need for a revived Henry Jenkins is stronger now than ever in our fast-expanding village.

It was great to see everyone. Thank you to Tim the butcher for supplying his tasty pork pies and quiches, to Mary and colleagues for running the bar, and to Simon Mallon and Alison Holgate for doing the graphics for our new promotional banners.

Happy Christmas and Best New Year wishes and thank you for your continued support. We will keep you up-to-date with developments. It could be an interesting year!

Keep up to date with what is happening with the Henry Jenkins Pub at the Annual General Meeting on next moneday.

Schedule for Henry Jenkins AGM;

Date – 1st December
Location – The Mechanics Institute
Opening time – 6.30pm Bar opens
Meeting – 7pm meeting starts
Food – Pork pies and quiche from Tim the butcher will be served
Who? – This meeting is open to all members (those who’ve pledged or bought shares) and all residents of Kirkby, Laverton and Dallowgill.

We’ve got lots happening; Speakers from a successful community pub. An address by North Yorks Deputy Mayor and community pub champion Coun Pete Kilbane and an update on the campaign and put any questions you may have to your committee. But as much as anything it’s about socialising and keeping in touch.

We hope you can join us!

Once again, the Owner of Henry Jenkins has lodged a planning application to convert one of the outhouses into a holiday let.

This is very similar to the previous application, which was rejected, but we cannot afford to be complacent, as if granted, the application would remove most of the car park, render the pub landlocked, and make parking and deliveries very difficult.

Given the planning permission for the eastern part of the pub, granted in 2020 has yet see any signs of development taking place, we can only assume that this is another tactic in his mission to render the Henry Jenkins unviable as a pub forever. 

With only 48hours until the deadline for the planning objections – you know what to do!!! Get objecting everyone!

https://uniformonline.harrogate.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=SSECKOHYKGB00&activeTab=summary