Friday lunchtime at The Case is Altered in Bentley. The clinking of glasses, lively chatter and occasional hearty laughter of a typical Suffolk village pub. Except this one isn't exactly typical.
The mood at The Case is Altered wasn't always this upbeat. Back in 2011, things were at such a low ebb that then owner Punch Taverns put the pub up for sale with a £240,000 price tag. There were no takers, so the next year they closed it between July and October, then reopened it with a temporary manager in charge. Trade didn't improve and they finally called time in March 2013.
But all was not lost, because a bunch of dedicated villagers weren't prepared to let the pub die and lose yet another traditional village amenity. Determined to save The Case and rekindle Bentley's community spirit, they formed a steering group, chaired by villager David Westley, and went from door to door, asking every household in the parish to find out if people were prepared to get the pub reopened under community ownership. There was plenty of support.
As treasurer Peter Cross explains, they got the pub listed as an Asset of Community Value under the Localism Act 2011. This meant there was a six-month moratorium on the sale, during which time The Case could only be sold to a community interest group. It was enough time for the team to put a bid together and raise the funds they needed to buy the pub.
In August 2013 they established Bentley Community Pub Ltd, a not-for-profit Industrial and Provident Society (IPS). Come October they launched a community share offer, giving the community of Bentley and supporters the opportunity to invest in the pub by buying a minimum of five shares for £50 each.
The pledges rolled in and by January the following year they'd reached the £200,000 minimum fundraising target they'd set themselves in order to negotiate with Punch. In February they secured the freehold of the Case is Altered for £220,000 and got the keys to the pub.
What they found when they stepped through the door stunned them. 'It was like the Marie Celeste,' says Peter. 'It was in abysmal condition. Everything was just as it had been left.' There was rotten food in the fridges, the ceiling leaked, and the cellar, which requires regular pumping due to a stream that runs under the pub, was flooded.
But an enthusiastic team of volunteers from the Bentley community immediately went to work, cleaning, carrying out essential repairs and redecorating. Adnams helped out by getting the beer pumps working and local people with top-notch skills pitched in, including an apprentice engineer, an interior designer and a carpenter who built a superb bar out of French oak.
The goal was to open for Easter, an on April 17, Maundy Thursday, the Case is Altered opened for business as the first co-operative pub in Suffolk. Funds were tight so to keep overheads down, so volunteers initially opened the pub 18 hours a week, serving drinks only.
But the launch week was sensational. 'We were rammed every night,' says Peter. Fundraising continued and once the pub was open, more people came forward to invest in the future of the The Case.
In 2015, they undertook major refurbishment programme – partly funded by a grant from the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership – to make the pub even more welcoming and comfortable, including constructing a fireplace, an extension to the bar counter and installation of new bench seating.
In 2017 David Westley, accidental chairman, handed the role to Kate Spicer, who is licensee and one of the original steering group, along with Peter Cross, Chris Pink, David Eastall, John Campbell and Cliff Daldey. They all do their bit to keep the pub going.
Roll forward to 2024 and the village is celebrating the first 10 years of their community-owned pub. They're justifiably proud of what they've achieved, none more so than David, who spearhead the rescue mission. 'I never intended to, but I was the first person to speak out publicly at the parish council meeting,' he says. Having lived in the village for 20 years, he had known the pub when it was thriving and was dismayed to see it go steadily downhill.
'The pub had been closed, no one appeared interested in saving it, there were lots of rumours about what it would become. I'd heard of other communities doing something about their pubs, so I asked the question if anyone was interested in saving it.'
The Case is the heartbeat of the village, a true asset that's much more than simply a place to enjoy a pint. There's no TV or slot machines, just conversation and enjoyment of each other's company, a hub where clubs and groups can meet, a venue for celebrations of all kinds. It hosts the community shop next door and it provides meaningful opportunities for a whole range of volunteers.
Before Covid, The Case had ventured into serving food, but that's become difficult to sustain, so now food trucks visit once a month with Wagu burgers, Thai food and pizza, setting up in front of the pub's garden, making it a popular village event. There are live music nights and charity fundraising events, this year for the Alzheimer's Society.
Having been there from the start, Kate Spicer knows the pub must and will evolve. 'The 197 members of the co-op will decide its future and may have different on ideas about what they want their pub to be,' she says.
The current committee is already talking about succession, hoping to encourage a new generation to steer The Case through the next 10 years. So, let's drink to the continued success of The Case is Altered. Cheers!
A case in point
A whole village can benefit from a community-owned pub. As local people become active and involved, whether as paying customers or volunteer workers, they develop a sense of ownership and pride.
It's certainly true of Pat Keenan, for whom the revival of The Case proved a lifeline. Pat moved to Bentley from Romford in 2002 with her husband, Tom, who had a serious illness. Life in a Suffolk village suited them. Tom was in remission in 2014, when the village bought the pub and Pat joined the team that got stuck into cleaning up.
The couple invested a bit of money; Pat had run a darts league at their local in Romford and she was excited about setting up a team at The Case. But everything changed when Tom died in October 2014.
'I had to decide what to do,' she says. 'Should I stay, or should I go back to Romford?' It was David Westley who helped her to make a decision. 'I met him in the street one day and we got talking. He suggested working behind the bar. They gave me training – I was 70 at the time. I came with another widow and we did a Sunday shift.'
Pat still does a stint behind the bar each week and cleans on Saturdays, and she loves being involved. She also belongs to a book group and a craft group. 'It's kept me in the village,' she says.
