Lionhearted group: New year, new pub
Patrick Watson, volunteer project manager for the Ickleton Lion, talks about progress to date in bringing an empty pub back to life.
We’re starting 2025 with the keys to our very own pub. It’s been amazing to see the scale of interest, generosity and goodwill towards our journey so far. BBC Breakfast even came to talk to us live on national television between Christmas and New Year! Maybe you saw us?
We only had a few days to make the Lion fit for the cameras – no mean feat in an empty 300-year-old building with no heating or running water. Sadly, very little of the pub’s furniture was included in the sale and chairs left in the shed were far from clean. A small but mighty group of volunteers spent a busy morning cleaning and collecting a random assortment of furniture from people’s houses. Amazingly, the Lion scrubbed up well and a Christmas tree donated by one of our members twinkled in the corner as we welcomed about 50 shareholders and villagers for breakfast at 7am!
It was wonderful to hear so many stories about the pub – from Jan whose three-times great-grandparents ran the pub in the 1820s, to Clare who was a barmaid as a young girl. Despite the cold, there was a warm buzz about what the new year would hold.
That’s where I come in. I project manage building developments as a career and live just down the road from the Lion. When they asked for volunteers to lend their skills, I thought: Why not?
So here I am. I’ve been through the building’s survey and started to prioritise all the tasks that need doing – from big to small. We’ve had some great support from Nicholas Hare Architects exploring future options too. Now we need to work out what planning and listed building consent we need for the bigger jobs, and when, to ensure we fully realise the potential of this heritage asset for the community.
For the smaller tasks, we’ve begun assigning them, either to paid contractors or willing volunteers with the skills and energy to help.
One of the first tasks has been to secure the pub. We’ve been so grateful to Steve Farr from CamSafe Fire and Security Systems who has already installed a new alarm system and serviced the fire alarm system to keep the building safe, giving his labour for free.
In the next few weeks we’ll be looking for professional support in pest and woodworm control, drain jetting, electrics, carpentry and loft insulation and more. Could you or your company give us a hand? We’d love to hear from you if you can – and we’ll make sure you’re recognised as an ‘Ickleton Lion Hero’. A few free pints too I’m sure!
We’re also creating volunteer groups to take on a range of tasks, from stripping out the carpets in the flat above the pub to clearing up the cellar and bottle store. We also need to find a group of volunteers willing to take on the job of sorting out the toilets – an important, yet reasonably undesirable task!
People keep asking me about the timeline for the refurbishment and when the pub might be opening its doors once again. I’m afraid it’s hard to predict at this stage. Old buildings always throw up surprises and our suspicions about the roof recently proved to be correct when rain revealed a significant leak into the kitchen area.
So, we’re hoping for luck, a fair wind and some hard graft to get us open as soon as we can!