As you probably know, the Green Dragon pub in Churchway is to be marketed for sale by its current owners, Enterprise Inns.
As residents of Haddenham, we are aware that the management of the pub has been erratic for some time now with multiple tenant/managers and prolonged periods of it being closed and unoccupied.
It is even more frustrating that we finally have a member of our community in Abi Armstrong running the Green Dragon and, given that she has made such a success of the Kings Head and would do the same for the Green Dragon, it is frustrating for all that her management of the pub should be jeopardised by this decision.
Wisely, the pub has been listed as a Community Asset by CAMRA's Aylesbury and Wycombe Branch and this gives the community a period of time to raise funds to buy the property if commercial terms can be agreed with the owners.
We are a small group of residents who wish the future of the pub to be secured, so it can be a central part of our community. We are genuinely concerned for the pub and worried that its future use could be changed irrevocably.
Given these concerns, we have gathered as a group of like-minded individuals and friends and called ourselves "Green Phoenix". We intend to form a Community Interest Company and register interest in purchasing the property with AVDC.
We will then enter into negotiations with the owners, Enterprise Inns, and look to raise the necessary funds through a number of methods. The whole community will have the opportunity to be owners in the venture.
If successful under our plan, the pub will be owned by the community and any profits made will be reinvested in the pub to secure its long term future. However, we would look to find a professional tenant to manage the pub or to engage with a management company – we know which side of the bar we are best found on ....!
We are all volunteers and will receive no financial remuneration or benefit apart from the pleasure of hopefully seeing a valued asset secured for ours and our children's futures. We are currently in discussions with an organisation called "Pub is the Hub" that assists and advises communities in saving and purchasing pubs for their communities.
We wish to engage with as many people as possible in Haddenham and are keen to hear from anyone who is interested in assisting or being involved in any way. We have made Abi aware of our plans and she is supportive. These are very early days for all of us and I am sure there will be multiple questions from everyone that hopefully we will be able to answer. If we can't, we will do our best to find the answers to the questions you may have.
Please express your interest or send any comments and queries by emailing us at: contact@greenphoenixpub.co.uk
Or visit the Green Phoenix website here.
Many thanks for your help and support.
The Green Phoenix Community Interest Company.
Jamie Hall
Nick Leale
Jon Proctor
Chris Martin
Paul Dixon
Alex Giles
