A COMMUNITY share offering aimed at buying Milverton’s Globe Inn public house has been extended for a second time, until September, in a bid to raise the final £110,000.

Milverton Community Benefit Society needs £580,000 to purchase and renovate the Globe, which is being sold by Mark and Adele Tarry after they had run it for 18 years.

But it did not reach its target by the original closing date and so extended the deadline first to June, and now by another three months.

The extension also allows the society to find out how the result of Thursday’s (July 4) General Election might affect its bid for a £300,000 Levelling Up Fund grant.

It was told the funding grant application had progressed through the first stage, but nothing further could be considered until after the election.

A spokesperson said: “There is absolutely nothing we can do about it.

“We have tried, but all Government activities are governed by the rules around all elections.”

Parliamentary candidates for the new Tiverton and Minehead constituency, to which Milverton has been moved in a redrawing of the boundaries by the Electoral Commission, were approached and pledged their support.

The spokesperson thanked everybody who had so far purchased £100 shares in the community benefit society and said share certificates would be issued ‘in due course’.

They said: “This is not just about saving a building, it is about saving the spirit of Milverton.

“Let us raise a glass not just to a good pint, but to the future of our community.

“Join the movement, donate what you can, and ensure The Globe remains a beacon for generations to come.

“With pub closures up a staggering 51 per cent in the first three months of 2024 alone, the threat to our local is more real than ever.

“This is not just about a place to grab a pint, it is about the heart of our community.

“The Globe is the stage for our celebrations, the refuge for commiseration, and the common ground where young and old come together.

“It is where friendships are forged, ideas are shared, and a sense of belonging flourishes.

“Losing it would be a devastating blow.

“If you have not yet purchased shares or know somebody who wants to buy shares, please visit https://www.milvertoncbs.org to get the process underway.”

News of the Milverton campaign has spread worldwide with the community benefit society having received donations from countries including Canada, Australia, and America.

The Milverton group has loosely modelled itself on neighbouring Halse village, where the community purchased the New Inn during the Covid years.

Should the purchase of The Globe fall through, the society said funds would be returned to shareholders, although a small deduction might need to be taken for expenditure incurred, such as a structural survey.

However, funds raised to date were being held in an interest-bearing account and the society expected costs incurred prior to purchase of the pub would be mitigated by the interest earned.