VILLAGERS are trying to save a "vital" 500-year-old pub from permanent closure.

Residents in Cleeve Prior are trying to buy The Kings Arms - a pub that has remained empty since it went up for sale in January last year.

The pub, a staple in the community since it opened in 1542, was forced to close when its previous owners struggled with rising costs and post-pandemic challenges.

Evesham Journal: Inside The Kings Arms in Cleeve Prior.Inside The Kings Arms in Cleeve Prior. (Image: Sidney Phillips)Concerns have been raised that the closure may be permanent, which has led villagers to form Cleeve Prior Community Pub Group in a bid to save the historic building.

Brian Williams, chairman of the Cleeve Prior Community Pub Group, said: "To put this into perspective, The Kings Arms opened in Cleeve Prior in the same year that witchcraft was outlawed on pain of death and 22 years before Shakespeare was born up the road in Stratford Upon Avon, so this is history that we all need to protect."

Evesham Journal: Inside The Kings Arms in Cleeve PriorInside The Kings Arms in Cleeve Prior (Image: Sidney Phillips)The Kings Arms Community Pub Group is issuing a community share scheme so residents and the wider public can invest in history.

Shares are just £50 each with a minimum spend of £200.

However, the village needs to raise a total of £500k to cover the cost of freehold and necessary repairs and renovations.

The village hopes that a large portion of the amount required will be met through obtaining government grants but said it cannot rely on this.

Evesham Journal: Inside The Kings Arms in Cleeve PriorInside The Kings Arms in Cleeve Prior (Image: Sidney Phillips)Resident Sarah Gallucci said: "It would be a tragedy if the UK lost yet another piece of our culture and heritage due to the cost of living.

"The pub acts as a hub for our community, and without it, we are just a collection of houses. It is a vital focal point for meeting neighbours and as we saw with Covid, isolation can have a big impact on mental health for people of all ages."

Pledges from villagers are already approaching £100k and the scheme has not yet gone officially live.

There will be an open day at the Kings Arms on Saturday, February 10 from 12pm to 4pm where anyone interested in purchasing shares can ask questions whilst enjoying a pint.