The vision for The Lamb
Imagine a vibrant, welcoming hub at the heart of our village. A place to meet old friends, make new ones, and enjoy the best of local hospitality. That’s the dream for The Lamb. Though the doors are currently closed, we’re working hard to bring this vision to life.
Our Community, Your Pub
Gather, Relax, Connect
At its heart, a village pub is more than a place to drink. It’s the beating heart of community life. We’re determined to save The Lamb and make it just that - a place where everyone feels at home. A new and modern version of a community pub.
Our vision is to:
Create a welcoming, inclusive atmosphere, where everyone – families, friends and visitors alike – can gather, relax, and connect
Create a vibrant, modern space that respects our village’s heritage while embracing new ideas
Create an environment that is lively yet doesn't need to be overwhelmingly busy all the time
Celebrate sustainable local produce and support local jobs
Offer high quality, affordable food and drink that suits every taste and budget, from a proper pint to the best chips in town
Offer training and employment opportunities for our young people
Bring the village together through a diverse programme of events run by local community groups, from live music to cookery, language and art classes, film screenings to bingo, repair café, pop-up advice sessions and much more
Evolve The Lamb into a daytime café, a flexible workspace with Wi-Fi, and even a small hub for practical services – whatever helps Stoke Goldington thrive.
Financially, this new community hub aims to be self-sustaining through a strong business plan. Most importantly, we want to ensure the new pub is not a burden on the local community but rather a contributor to its vitality, providing local employment and ultimately enhancing the village's attractiveness and value.
The Lamb we are hoping to create will be a strong, vocal promoter and supporter of other village activities, community groups, clubs and social events.
It will collaborate closely with the Village Hall, Reading Room and other local venues. It seeks to complement, not compete, and to strengthen ties between all the great groups that make Stoke Goldington come alive.
Bringing the pub into community ownership is the best way to improve its offering to local people. We need to do this as a community. We need your support, ideas, and enthusiasm to make this vision a reality.
Let’s build the ‘New Lamb’ together.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do you expect the pub to reopen?
The pub's just gone up for sale. It’s very hard to give any timescales. At the moment, we’re in the planning stages, working closely with the community to be prepared and ready to bring the pub back to life.
It's going to take some time to complete any negotiations or plans. Expert advice has warned us that the process can take up to a year, and that’s also the experience of other community pubs nearby.
There is a lot of work to do. We’ll share updates on progress and milestones here as soon as we can. Stay tuned and get involved. Your support will help us open the doors sooner!
Who owns the pub?
The Lamb is owned by a local family. They have decided to sell the pub.
Will the pub and its land simply be sold off for housing development?
We hope not. That would be a tragedy for the local community because we need a village pub – this was made really clear by the responses to the community questionnaire. There is strong local support for The Lamb to re-open as soon as possible.
Any development proposal for housing on all or part of the site would need planning permission to change the use away from a public house, and would have to overcome various planning and heritage constraints and restrictions on the use of the land.
Local and national planning policy protects existing pubs, particularly where there is local demand to retain them. So we hope we can purchase the pub for community use instead.
Can the pub become community-owned?
This possibility is being explored by the steering group. As a first step, the pub, including car park and gardens, have been registered as an Asset of Community Value (ACV).
A building or space registered as an Asset of Community Value with a local council is protected under the Community Right to Bid. If a registered asset comes up for sale, the community can put in an offer to buy it.
All options are being explored for how the Stoke Goldington community could do that.
What is an ACV?
An ACV is an Asset of Community Value.
It’s a way of designating something – such as a village pub – that is considered valuable for the social wellbeing or interests of the local community. It's essentially a way for us to identify and protect spaces we believe are important for our social life, cultural activities, recreation, and more.
Milton Keynes Council has now designated The Lamb (the pub, gardens and car park) as an ACV. This means it is protected under the Community Right to Bid. Now The Lamb is up for sale, the community can put in an offer to buy it.
What is a community-owned pub?
A community-owned pub is one which is owned and controlled by community members, who each have an equal and democratic say in how the business is run.
Once in community ownership, an elected committee or board:
Represents the wider membership
Determines how the pub is managed
Delegates the day-to-day management of the pub to a team of paid staff and/or volunteers
Or sub-lets to a tenant who will operate the pub within a framework set by the community.
The Ash Tree in Ashendon is an example of a pub in Buckinghamshire run by a Community Benefit Society.
Other examples of local pubs that have been bought by their local communities include the Bell & Bear in Emberton and the Robin Hood in Clifton Reynes (although in these cases, they’ve bought them as a private limited company).
This approach to reopening pubs is a growing trend with a high success rate. Plunkett UK estimates that over 41,000 shareholders have invested in community pubs in England to date.
What advice is being received about potential next steps?
We are receiving a lot of support from experts at Plunkett UK – a national charity which supports people in rural areas to set up and run a wide range of businesses in community ownership – and other groups such as Pub is The Hub.
Plunkett is providing us with a detailed action plan and a lot of the governance and legal documents we may need.
There are also specialists in finance, business planning, marketing and hospitality in our volunteer steering group, and we are taking guidance from a wide range of other external advisors.
There are now bar nights at the Village Hall on Friday evenings. Why bother saving the pub?
The Village Hall Committee and volunteers are doing an amazing job of supporting Stoke Goldington’s social life while the pub is closed. If you haven’t yet experienced the bar nights on Friday evenings, do come along and join in the fun!
But ultimately, this has been created as a temporary measure run by volunteers – it was always designed to be a ‘one night only’ offering in the short-term until The Lamb reopens.
The Village Hall is not the village pub. We have a longer-term vision for the community pub which will complement, not compete with, our other excellent facilities in Stoke Goldington.
What was the verdict of the recent survey of residents about the future of the pub?
We received 130 responses to the questionnaire, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive:
98% of respondents support exploring the purchase of the pub as a community venture.
72% of respondents expressed an interest in directly helping the project financially or operationally.
The community has expressed a clear message: The pub is a valued asset and there is a powerful desire to see it reopened and used.
What benefits do pubs bring to villages these days?
Village pubs provide multiple benefits, including serving as a vital social hub, fostering community engagement, and contributing to the local economy. They also provide a sense of tradition and heritage, acting as a meeting place for locals and newcomers alike.
Studies have shown that a busy village pub is a sign of a thriving rural community. Researchers at Northumbria University found that rural pubs injected between £80,000 to £120,000 into their local community.
Plunkett UK also estimates that a pub in a village contributes a 7% uplift in local home value.
What are the ideas for how The Lamb could look like inside and outside?
We think it’s important that everyone knows what we are aiming towards.
The vision for the sort of pub we want in Stoke Goldington is based on a blend of modern comfort with traditional village charm. Inside, you’ll find a clean, modern design that’s warm and welcoming – perfect for everything from quiet coffees to lively evenings with friends. Outside, we plan to create a clean, tidy, kid-friendly garden and patio where everyone can relax and enjoy the fresh air.
How will The Lamb support local suppliers and businesses?
Supporting local is a big part of our plan. From sourcing beers and ciders from local breweries to using produce from nearby farms, we’re committed to boosting the local economy and reducing our environmental impact. We’re also keen to collaborate with local artisans, musicians, and community groups.
What kinds of events will be hosted at the pub?
The results and feedback from the survey show you want The Lamb to be more than just a pub. Eventually, we hope it will serve as an extra venue in the village for things like live music, cookery, language and art classes, bingo nights, quizzes, book clubs, and maybe even outdoor film screenings. We also plan to collaborate with local groups to host their events, ensuring there’s always something happening for everyone.
Will the pub be family-friendly and dog-friendly?
Definitely. The community-inspired Lamb will be a place where everyone feels at home: families, children, walkers, cyclists, Morris Men, and four-legged friends too.
Will The Lamb offer Wi-Fi and workspace during the day?
This came across strongly in the feedback survey. The community would love the pub to double as a daytime café and a flexible workspace. We’ll offer free Wi-Fi and a comfortable environment for remote working, networking, and even small business meetings. It’s all part of making The Lamb a truly multi-purpose modern community space.
Will the pub support local clubs, groups, and community activities?
Yes. We’re passionate about working hand-in-hand with the Village Hall, Parish Council, Reading Room and all local clubs, societies, and community groups. Let’s make The Lamb somewhere that actively supports Stoke Goldington’s social life together.
How can I get involved or share ideas for the new pub?
We’d love to hear from you! Whether you’d like to volunteer, share ideas for events, suggest suppliers, or just lend your enthusiasm, please contact us. The Lamb will only succeed if it reflects the community’s needs and aspirations.
Will there be opportunities to help with fundraising or volunteering?
Absolutely. Community involvement is key to making the ‘New Lamb’ a reality. We’ll be organising fundraising activities and looking for volunteers to help. If you’d like to lend a hand, please let us know – we’d be thrilled to have your support.
How can I stay updated on progress?
This website will always be the first place where we will post updates and news. We’re committed to keeping everyone informed every step of the way. You can also follow us on Facebook.