A village pub has been transformed into a thriving community hub.
The Hop Pole Inn in Limpley Stoke reopened in 2025 after seven years of closure and is now serving as a gathering place for residents and visitors alike.
Run by publicans Hannah Randall and Charlie Rawlings, the pub is owned by the Limpley Stoke Community Benefit Society and has been redesigned to support families, groups and local organisations with improved facilities and refurbished social spaces.
Simon Coombe, chair of the society, said: "This is a pub with a real focus on supporting its local community.
"The new projector equipment and outdoor games will create fantastic opportunities for groups to come together for meetings and for families to spend quality time together.
"These improvements will also help the pub host a wide range of cultural and social activities, contributing to tackling social isolation and loneliness in the area."
The pub has earned praise for its food, drink and hospitality, securing a spot in the Good Food Guide 2025 and winning CAMRA’s Bath and Borders Pub of the Year award for 2026.
A new community room, complete with a projector and screen, is now available for meetings, talks and group activities, and is regularly used by local book groups, environmental groups and handicraft circles.
The garden has also been upgraded to include skittles, a blackboard wall and a bug house.
A new path with classic fencing, crafted by a local metalworker, improves access to the outdoor space.
The Hop Pole Inn has also received a Garden Box from Pub is The Hub, an organisation that helps pubs diversify.
The box includes gardening tools and supplies to support the volunteers who maintain the pub’s green spaces.
Hannah Randall, one of the pub’s publicans, said: "These projects have delivered real benefit to people in the local area.
"We are looking forward to welcoming new groups and families to The Hop Pole Inn and there is warm welcome for everyone."
The improvements were made possible with advice and a grant from Pub is The Hub, through the Department for Business and Trade’s Hospitality Support Fund.
Kate Dearden, Minister Employment Rights and Consumer Protection, said: "Rural pubs like The Hop Pole are vital to their communities.
"Whether it’s by creating jobs or providing families, like those in Limpley Stoke, with a place to come together and socialise."
Support for the pub is part of a wider government effort to sustain rural pubs as key assets for their communities.
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