Community Ownership Fund Awards Grant to Open Arms Kington!

Open Arms Kington (OAK) received fantastic news today when we learned that we have been awarded £300,000 towards the purchase and restoration of the Oxford Arms in Kington. Our project is one of only eight grants nationwide which have just been announced by the government's Community Ownership Fund (COF) and the only COF grant so far awarded in Herefordshire.

We are overjoyed by the news and hugely grateful to everyone who was involved in making the bid a success, especially our awesomely talented Project Manager, Fiona Ritchie. We also acknowledge the vital financial help given by the Community Fund and the Architectural Heritage Fund to enable us to carry out a thorough feasibility study and prove our case to COF.

This grant pledge puts us well on our way to the purchase of The Oxford Arms. But we face a further challenge - for in order to claim the COF grant we need to generate £250,000 of match funding over the next six months. We have a plan in progress for how to do this - as well as bidding for funds from donors like the Lottery, it includes a target of raising £50,000 in private donations. If we reach this target there are donors who will match fund so that £50,000 becomes £100,000. So, its an opportunity we want to seize and with the growing support we’re receiving we feel confident that together we can achieve it.

We’ve already begun to receive pledges of financial support and we will soon share details of how to donate and become part of making this wonderful vision a reality for Kington.