Wigtown’s Community Inn Community Benefit Society (CBS) has been offered grant funding from South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) for the acquisition of the building currently known as the Plough Inn, a centuries-old building in the heart of Wigtown.
The CBS is absolutely delighted that SOSE has chosen to fund this project, a major milestone in securing the building for long-term community use. We are thrilled to be preserving this historic inn here in Wigtown, to help the community continue to flourish.
The CBS is a local, not-for-profit organisation focused on the management and development of this building. Our objectives are: to open the building to promote social gathering; to provide employment and training; to facilitate events and services for the benefit of the local community; to contribute to the development of tourism amenities and the night time economy of the town. The building’s principal commercial aims are: to be an excellent accommodation provider; to offer delicious, affordable, locally-sourced meals; to provide a brilliant family- and dog-friendly bar.
The Wigtown Community Inn Community Benefit Society was formed in March 2024, and originally comprised George Willan, Catherine Brown, Richard Draper, Pennie Cumming, Craig Hamnett and Kevin Witt. George tragically passed away in May, and his death left a void in the community he was so loved by. His wife Julie has recently joined the Management Committee, honouring his memory by continuing to give back to the community with the same energy and commitment her late husband gave. George Moore has also joined the Management Committee as an invaluable Treasurer.
The application process has not been plain sailing, since the announcement of the closure of the fund we had originally been preparing for — the Community Ownership Fund — as a result of the July General Election. A subsequent bid to the Scottish Land Fund failed due to an increasingly competitive funding landscape, but we were buoyed with good feedback and encouraged to apply in 2025. Fearing the historic building may be lost to a permanent change of use, we hedged our bets and turned to SOSE, who had already been pivotal in providing support and advice for the previous applications. A funding bid was submitted for the cost of the building and we were thrilled to find out we had been successful, given such a challenging funding landscape. We cannot thank everyone at SOSE enough. They provide such a professional service, and their kind-natured human approach removed the fear of applying for such a large amount of money.
Russel Griggs OBE, Chair of South of Scotland Enterprise, said: “One of our priorities at SOSE is to support vibrant, resilient and enterprising communities to help tackle the economic and social challenges we face, and help our region to flourish.
“With the support of our Communities team, Wigtown Community Inn CBS is doing exactly that, as they bring a disused building back into use for the benefit of the community as well as contribute to the local economy.
“I look forward to seeing this project progress and the new Inn becoming a real asset for Wigtown.”
The Journey Ahead
After securing the funding for the building, our attention is focused on raising start-up capital to realise the vision we originally presented to the community. We can start small and work towards
that vision, but our goal is to get the building open to the public as soon as possible. We’re currently identifying and applying to other relevant funding bodies, in conjunction with putting together a shareholder prospectus to raise money through an initial community share offering, and asking (very politely!) for donations from far and wide to kick-start the business and restore the building to its former glory.
“The pub would provide important economic and social roles which have been missing in Wigtown.”
Dr Jacqui Robertson – ReadingLasses Bookshop & Cafe
There is still much more to do, and many more challenges along the way. Although a lot of research has been done, there are still unknown hurdles to overcome. That’s why we’re encouraging the community to take an active role in becoming members of the Wigtown Community Inn CBS for just £1. This will expand the CBS’s experience profile and inject vital expertise into the conversation, to mitigate some of those unknowns.
Lastly, we have sincere thank yous to give to a number of people outside the CBS that have been pivotal in getting us to this stage: Irene Tilley for invaluable hospitality advice; Kirsten Logue at SOSE for her patience and due diligence; Jack Cooper of the Plough for building access and answering so many questions; George Ogier and Alison Macklin at the Plunkett Foundation, for all their support and encouragement, and the Plunkett Foundation for their grant that paid for the Valuation Survey, and the administrative and legal cost of incorporating the CBS with the FCA. Also, Ailsa Murphy at the Scottish Land Fund, for all her great support and guidance, and the SLF for their Stage 1 grant that paid for the Conditions Survey and the Asbestos Survey.
Also, all the business owners of Wigtown who have been in touch to either write letters of support or have taken the time to sit down and provide constructive feedback, and, finally, to the community as a whole. We’ve felt the support and encouragement since day one, and that’s been our driving force to restore a much loved building back to its original status.
