A group trying to save the Hop Pole pub in Limpley Stoke is staging an auction and raffle at the historic inn tonight (Friday, August 23) in the hope of raising £20,000.

The Limpley Stoke Community Benefit Society hopes to raise £10,000 from the event, which will be match-funded by generous supporters.

Society chair Simon Coombe said: “It’s not about the value of the item, it’s about what you can give for the fundraising.”

Mr Coombe says the Save the Hop Pole group hopes to reopen the pub in January – but gave no firm date for the reopening.

The pub was scheduled to be sold by its previous owners for residential development but was saved by villagers who want it to remain as a community pub.

The group is staging one last push to raise the £60,000 it still needs to reopen the 500-year-old inn.

Villagers will gather at the Hop Pole at 6pm for tonight’s auction which is expected to end around 9pm.

There will also be a raffle, beer and a barbecue, and a chance for supporters to look around the pub and see the work completed so far.

There are around 30 items in the auction, including several luxury holiday offers, plus a chance for someone to purchase the services of a professional chef to cook a three-course private lunch, brunch or dinner party for up to six people.

The group needs £1.2 million to reopen the Grade II-listed 16th century pub and has already raised £1,020,000 from supporters.

More than 650 investors have subscribed to two community share issues, and the group is seeking further investors before closing its second share issue at the year-end.

As well as the funds from the first community share issue, the LSCBS, a not-for-profit community organisation, has also received a variety of grants to help restore the pub.

These include £300,000 from the government’s Community Ownership Fund and £10,000 apiece from the National Lottery and the Swindon-based Hills Group Ltd, through the Landfill Communities Fund (LCF) which is administered for Hills by Community First, the Rural Community Council for Wiltshire.

In addition, more than £200,000 of donations and volunteer time has been pledged from over 100 people helping the Save the Hop Pole project.