ABOUT
Ickleton Community Pub Limited
Ickleton Community Pub Limited was established in order to purchase and reopen the pub in Ickleton
(now known as the The Lion at Ickleton).
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Community ownership
By buying the pub we have safeguarded its future, protecting it from potential redevelopment in the future – and brought it back into use for the community.
We undertook market research and consulted with the community and professionals to best assess how the pub and hub would operate. We do not run the business ourselves, as we believe that it would be far better for us to employ an established restaurateur or publican to manage the pub on a day to day basis.
A Management Committee elected from the members, by the members, will work with the professional manager(s) to offer support where needed, and to develop new services in consultation with the community. Volunteers may be involved in running some of these.
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Strengthen our community
Reopening The Lion will enhance the social and cultural life of our village. Good quality, affordable food and drink, locally sourced where possible, will be central to the Lion’s offering. The pub will once again host social gatherings, family celebrations and small events, such as quizzes and games nights.
However, it would be far more than a pub or restaurant. We will be welcoming home-from-home; an accessible and family-friendly hub for us all to enjoy. And as a member, you will be able to have a say in how any profits are reinvested back into the community.
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Provide new facilities
We will provide space for local groups to meet and for people to forge new friendships. We know there’s a huge demand for good coffee and for somewhere to work, so we’ll encourage co-working in the restaurant space during the daytime, as well as other opportunities for people to gather - such as craft groups, a lunch club and more.
We hope we can support the community in living more sustainably by providing a repair cafe, as well as being mindful of our own carbon footprint in the way that the pub is operated. With plenty going on to suit lots of different age groups and interests, we believe The Lion will quickly become a hive of activity within the community.
Support the local economy
We believe The Lion should complement rather than compete with other facilities and services in the village. The pub will provide job opportunities in both the kitchen and front of house, as well as volunteer roles for those who want to connect with other people, gain valuable work experience or develop new skills.
There is also the potential to offer training to young people - a way to gain basic qualifications and experience in catering and hospitality, to help prepare trainees to access work at other hospitality businesses in the area.
Using local food and drink suppliers and local tradesmen wherever we can will help others grow their businesses too.
The Lion will be a friendly local where villagers can meet old friends and make new ones at any time of day. Somewhere to get a reliably good pint or a decent meal without the need or expense of traveling elsewhere.
THE TEAM
Meet the team of passionate individuals who are driving the efforts to buy and run The Ickleton Lion as a community pub
Eric Burrows
Chair & Compliance Lead
Eric held leadership positions around the world in International Marketing. This was followed by Board and Partner roles in management consulting in Strategy, Marketing and Change Management. He was a pioneer in Change methodology. He has been a charity trustee, director of a Think Tank, and Organisational Development head of Europe’s largest engineering project.
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Ickleton has lost its Lion and we have the opportunity to put it back at the centre of our Village.
Hugh Molloy
Operations Lead
Hugh has lived in Ickleton for eight years and expects to remain in the village. He believes that ‘Community’ is vital for wellbeing, and a Community Pub which has ‘inclusion’ as a key objective is a wonderful resource. As a committee member his priorities are to see that the pub is a friendly and comfortable space in our community, serving – where possible – locally sourced food and drink, and having regard for it’s environmental footprint.
Hugh’s professional experience included twenty years as a headteacher; he bring skills (including people-management, financial oversight, community-building and premises-supervision) acquired during that time.
Joanna Hancock
HR and Communications Lead
Jo spent the first ten years of her career in the food industry, developing new products for clients including M&S, Waitrose and Pret a Manger, before moving into the charitable sector, where her remit includes volunteer recruitment, fundraising and research and campaigns. She is a trustee of two local charities and over the last 20 years has been involved in fundraising for a variety of community projects, receiving a community achievement award in 2016.
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She is passionate about building community cohesion and equitable access to services in rural locations, and is excited to be part of the Ickleton Lion team.
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Lizzie Molloy
Society Secretary and Community Cafe Lead
Lizzie Studied music and her working life was spent in music education. Working with children from diverse backgrounds, in a wide variety of educational settings over many years emphasised, for her, the importance of ‘community’ and ‘belonging’ to a person’s wellbeing.
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Having moved to Ickleton eight years ago, Lizzie embraced village life, becoming involved with the management of the village hall and the allotments. She has been part of the pub committee from the beginning, with significant roles in both the Fund Raising Team, and the Garden Team. In addition she has been part of the team of volunteer’s refurbishment of the Pub building – including the flat.
Steve Allan
Treasurer
Steve is a chartered accountant who has lived in South Cambridgeshire for the past twenty four years, whose career has spanned working in audit practice across the East Anglian region, merchant banking, a high-tech start-up, and a local chocolate retailer / manufacturer (including accounting for their multi-award winning luxury boutique hotel in St Lucia).
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He currently helps out a local musical theatre company by auditing their accounts.
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Steve believes a thriving village needs a heart, and the best heart is a pub. He has very much enjoyed helping out with the refurbishment of the pub and is keen to continue to support this important community hub.
Katherine Denman-Johnson
Building Lead
Katherine has lived in Ickleton for 23 years and brought up her children in the village. She has been involved in organising and raising money for a range of successful community and charity projects for over 30 years. She believes that a village pub is an essential part of community life, not just for the villagers of Ickleton, but also the wider community.
Katherine started her working life as a biochemist, then ran a business from home whilst her children were small and is now employed to advise the Family Courts.