'Cheers! We saved The Falcon' – 200-year-old pub reopens thanks to remarkable Shropshire community effort
Less than 12 months ago, the 200-year-old Falcon Inn pub in Hinstock faced an uncertain future.
It closed its doors in December 2022 and in January 2023, suffered extensive damage to the interior caused by cold-weather induced flooding.
But after a remarkable effort from residents, determined to save their much-loved community asset, the pub has been restored – and with it, the promise of a bright, beer-filled future.
"Everybody calls it the 'pub', but nobody actually thinks it's a 'Public House', you wouldn't have that at your own home would you? To actually have a public house where everybody can go, whenever they want, informally – to treat as their own – is so important. The place now feels like it's loved by a lot of people and it's brilliant really," said Hinstock resident Ian Walker.
The Falcon Inn held its grand re-opening on Saturday, and there to welcome people were residents Sean Kinson, Richard Parrish, Mike Thomason and Ian Walker.
The four men make up the 'key players' of the Save The Falcon committee – a group which successfully applied to have the pub listed as an 'Asset of Community Value' by Shropshire Council in February this year.
The group then formed a Community Benefit Society (CBS), with support from the Plunkett Foundation, a charity that supports rural community businesses.
The group said the Plunkett Foundation had been an invaluable tool in getting the pub under community control.
They also paid a visit to the team at The White Lion in Ash Magna – which came into community ownership in 2017 – for advice on how to get The Falcon up-and-running.
