A campaigner who aims to reinstate a Loudwater pub three years after it closed says he is ‘confident’ that the necessary funds will be raised.

Richard Smith, who has lived in the village all his life, is one of many people aiming to get the Derehams Inn to reopen after it suddenly shut up shop in 2021.

This came after long-time landlady, Maggie Sturgess, passed away in December 2020.

Her husband, landlord, Graham Sturgess, decided to sell the pub not long after her death, before he sadly died in March 2022.

The boozer has since not reopened, and after a planning application was rejected by Buckinghamshire Council to turn the pub into flats, the public have clubbed together to try and purchase it from its new owner. 

So far, pledges of up to £100,000 have been made, and a meeting is expected to take place this evening [July 23], to see what else residents can do to try and save the Derehams Inn.

Derehams Inn has been shut since 2021Derehams Inn has been shut since 2021 (Image: NQ)

Mr Smith told the Free Press: “We are sitting down this evening [July 23] to sort of formally reply to the Council to make them aware that we will be bidding [to buy the pub].

“We’re still receiving pledges and more have come through from the weekend, certainly in the last 24 hours.

"August 2 is the moratorium, so it will be February next year when things start to move forward, but we’re confident in raising the £250,000 that is needed.”

The Derehams Inn has been in Loudwater since it opened back in the 1880s, becoming a staple of the community.

But since its closure, along with the Happy Union, there are no active boozers in the village.

Something that Mr Smith, a former regular, wants to change.

He continued: “I think it's important for us to demonstrate that there is a very significant interest in the community for keeping it open.

“But by the same token, the business will have to be viable and if we pay well over the odds to buy the place, we then have the problems of obviously putting it back into usable condition and then running it to last and lose money.

“We’re remaining positive but we noticed over the weekend that there had been a break-in.

“There was no particular damage other than a few smashed windows, but as you can see from the outside, it’s a real eyesore now as it’s overgrown and worn.”