We visited a Staffordshire countryside pub given a chance to thrive after villagers saved it from closure
This pub seemed set for closure, but was saved by the community around it and is now a thriving pub with a great beer and cider selection and a warm welcome.
In small, rural communities, the role of the local pub as a community hub and meeting place is invaluable - but what happens if the pub is suddenly threatened with closure?
One village which was faced with this possibility at the turn of the century is Church Eaton, a small, but pleasant village in the countryside near Stafford, when its pub the Royal Oak was threatened by closure.
The community hub could have been lost forever, but for the efforts of the villagers, who each chipped into a consortium called Lanvar Ltd to buy the Royal Oak and run it as their own pub in 2003.
Since then, the Royal Oak has become a thriving pub at the centre of the community and a hub of charity fundraising in the village. It is currently run by Karly Davies and Adam Caton.
Mr Caton explained: "We've nearly come here a few times, to be honest, as I've met the shareholders and the villagers before when I was asked to come and help them out when the previous landlord left and they were running it themselves.
