- 2 days ago
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00:00Do you want a big one of them?
00:03Fixes everything.
00:04Just smash everything up.
00:06Yes, that's me, John Richardson.
00:08And yes, that's my first time holding a sledgehammer.
00:12Oh, yes.
00:13Let me explain.
00:15I absolutely love pubs.
00:18I think they're a really special part of British culture.
00:22And the only thing I don't love about them
00:24is how many seem to be closing.
00:26And a few months ago,
00:27I visited a beautiful village in North Yorkshire
00:30where a community had raised the cash to buy their local.
00:33It's safe to go in, yeah?
00:35Yeah.
00:35Wowie.
00:36It's called The Plough,
00:38and anyone can become a shareholder
00:41to help get the pub back on its feet.
00:43I'm the treasurer for my sins.
00:46She's a good friend, woman.
00:47She's a type.
00:49But she's from Yorkshire.
00:51After seeing the pub for myself
00:53and getting to know the people here...
00:56That is exactly what The Plough should be.
00:58Cozy little room full of people.
01:00I couldn't resist investing too.
01:03First night I'll be here, I'll pull the pints.
01:05Good.
01:05And I'll pay for half of them.
01:07Pay for them.
01:08Did you get that on camera?
01:09Because we want that.
01:10No, no, I'm gone, I'm gone, I'm gone.
01:11So here we are.
01:13What a shot.
01:14Out of my comfort zone,
01:16in a hard hat.
01:17I think I'm better at this than he is now.
01:19You didn't need to get me a broom
01:20that is taller than me, did you?
01:21It might have been for entertainment value.
01:23Was it?
01:23Living out my dream of owning a pub.
01:26Do you know what I can feel without getting emotional?
01:29You can feel the history when you stand behind the bar.
01:32It's a massive project.
01:34Yeah, there's a lot of work we've got to do.
01:36Electrics, plumbing, putting in new windows.
01:38And we all need to get stuck in.
01:41She's a beast.
01:42It's all going back together stronger and better than it was before.
01:46But together...
01:47One, three, two, three, lift!
01:49We will do whatever it takes...
01:51If you want to bring a pub back to life,
01:53start by bidding on this beautiful sheep.
01:55...to get our pub back serving again.
01:58Let's get a pub finished.
02:17Are you filming me or are you filming out of the window?
02:20We film out of the window, please.
02:22That is...
02:23That's what we're here for.
02:32That there, that is the North York Moors.
02:35This is the land of Heathcliff.
02:37The rugged, beautiful terrain echoing the soul of the man.
02:44My soul is a bit more like that roadkill we went past before.
02:48But I think this is absolutely gorgeous.
02:58And then, I'm not going to tell you how to do your job,
03:01but then you want to cut to a drone shot.
03:03Phew!
03:10Not through the sunroof, though,
03:11because I've got a bald spot and I'm very sensitive about it.
03:18I absolutely love pubs.
03:20I love going on my own.
03:23I love going with friends.
03:25I love a city pub.
03:27I love a sports bar.
03:29I really love country pubs as meeting places,
03:34places people go when they've lost someone,
03:36places they go when they're looking for someone.
03:39Not to give too much away about my private life.
03:43Earlier this year, I heard about a village
03:45in this beautiful part of the world
03:47who'd bought their local pub
03:49and were trying to bring it back to life.
03:53This is Fadmore, 30 miles north of York.
03:56Population, about 170.
04:01The Plough Inn's been at the heart of village life since 1782.
04:05But then, well, things took a turn.
04:09The pub's shut in 2011 and I moved here in 2012.
04:14It couldn't have been worse.
04:16There was one night me and my son was trying
04:18to find something worth watching on TV
04:20and he just turned to me and said,
04:22if pub was open, Dad, we could have slipped round for a quick pint.
04:26I said, roll on.
04:28Roll on indeed.
04:30Thanks to a government grant, the village now owns the pub
04:33and they've got some pretty big ideas for bringing it back to life.
04:37Everyone will have their different ideas about what the pub's going to do.
04:39Yes, that's half the issue.
04:42I don't really want it to be too kind of like modern
04:45and kind of like a Wetherspoons, that sort of thing.
04:48I'd like it to keep its...
04:50I'd love a Wetherspoon.
04:51Yeah, maybe.
04:53No, I'm not going to spot Wetherspoon.
04:54No TV, no spot.
04:57Fortunately, to date,
04:58we've managed to deliver what we need to deliver without falling out.
05:03Although, as yet of course, the pub hasn't poured a single pint
05:07because the derelict building is still a million miles away
05:10from opening its doors.
05:12But in spite of the crumbling walls and peeling paint,
05:15all I can see is potential.
05:18Came on, visited the area, fell in love with it.
05:21I fell in love with the pub.
05:22I love the people and I've come back to see what's been done.
05:27And since it's the sort of thing that everybody has to help with,
05:31to see what I can do to help.
05:33And I'm hoping that's not going to be manual labour
05:35because I've put a particularly nice cardigan on.
05:42The plan is for the community to get the pub open again
05:46and earning its keep by spring 2026.
05:49That's just eight months away.
05:53There it is.
05:58Wow.
06:00Scaffolding's down.
06:01Never seen it with the scaffolding down.
06:03Oh, the roof's good.
06:07I'll put a hanging basket on that.
06:09That'll be my job.
06:10They can do the rest.
06:12What's happened here, then?
06:15Kick it, don't you?
06:16All that one's putting back on there.
06:20That's what that wants.
06:30It's been a while since I've been here.
06:31A part of me thought it might be finished.
06:35Bloody hell.
06:37It's not finished, is it?
06:40There's so much to do.
06:44But you can still feel it.
06:45Even though it's empty, there's such a magic to pubs.
06:51You can feel it.
06:52It makes me happy, even though it's in this state.
06:55It's a happy...
06:56You feel it's a happy space to, like, come in, what are you having?
06:59You shut up, you.
07:00Here he comes.
07:01He hasn't bought a pint in ten years.
07:02You can feel the banter in here.
07:04You feel, like, tables and nannas just snort laughing.
07:07And, oh, I wet myself.
07:09I've never even been here when it was open.
07:11I've got no right to feel any connection to it, but I do.
07:14But in 2010, this was, like, an open, functioning, busy pub.
07:20And now it's, like...
07:24That is holding up.
07:26All of it.
07:28If I dropkick that now, this whole thing comes down.
07:32Well, no, if I dropkick it now, I'll break my ankle and that stays there.
07:35But you get the point.
07:37To help pay for the renovations, the village is selling shares in the pub.
07:41So far, 180 people have bought in, me included.
07:45But what this renovation needs is an army of volunteers.
07:50Phil's one of them, a civil engineer who lives just a stone's throw from the pub.
07:55He's key to the rebuild.
07:57I can hear someone happening.
08:01Hello there.
08:02How's it going?
08:03Hello, John.
08:03Good to see you.
08:04How you up, lad?
08:05How are you?
08:06You're doing well?
08:06Yeah, very well.
08:07Good.
08:08Good.
08:08You're coming to do a job, have you?
08:10I'm here to help.
08:11Cos I look at this and I think, holy cow, there's a long way to go.
08:15Long way to go, but we can make something of it.
08:18Yeah, I must...
08:18It'll be unique.
08:20You think?
08:21It'll be our own.
08:22We're going to do it.
08:23That's massive.
08:24That, it'll be our own thing.
08:26It's not a firm coming in to do this.
08:28No.
08:28This is us doing this.
08:29This is a communal pub.
08:31You're really inspiring me, cos actually, that's the whole point, isn't it?
08:34Yeah.
08:35Yeah.
08:35The village is going to put its own stamp on it.
08:37Yes.
08:38Out there, won't it?
08:39But then, energy and graft is only going to get us so far on this project, isn't it?
08:46It's a bit like building a new house.
08:48When you say, like, it's a bit like building a house, I think, I've never done that.
08:52Right.
08:52I don't really want to.
08:53I built my own house.
08:54You built your own house?
08:55I have.
08:56This can't succeed without people like you.
08:59It can.
09:00So you look after yourself, you stay well, cos you've got a lot to do.
09:03What about now?
09:04Do you want me to do anything practical now while I'm here?
09:06So, we'll pop some of this timber in the wheelbarrow.
09:10So, what's the first drink you fancy when we pull the first price up here?
09:16A nice martini.
09:18A nice martini?
09:19I'll just have a pint, I think.
09:21I'll aim low for the beginning.
09:23A nice pint of local beer.
09:25Are you a drinker?
09:27I'm not a big drinker at all, no.
09:29In fact, I've always been the driver and I've never had a mind two parts of my life in one
09:34night.
09:34How come you're working so hard on the pub, then?
09:37Well, it's not about that, is it?
09:39It's about coming down here meeting people and having a talk.
09:43No, sitting in the corner and getting leathern on your own.
09:46That's what it's for.
09:48Right, you're in one corner and I'm in the other.
09:50Yeah, that sounds good to me.
09:52Right, where's it going?
09:54Outside.
09:56I'll pop that one there.
09:57Oh, John, you're...
09:58I'll leave that one there.
09:59You're wrecking the place.
10:00You were taking that out anyway, weren't you, that door?
10:03We were, yeah, that door's coming out now.
10:05Yeah, good.
10:09Oh!
10:10There's somebody else at work.
10:12That's Peter, a town planner by day.
10:14He's the chair of the committee of 12 members and at the heart of decision-making.
10:20Hello, Peter.
10:21Hey, up.
10:22How are you?
10:23Does he keep you busy?
10:24Yeah, a little bit too busy.
10:27He's built his own house.
10:28I know, and so have I.
10:29This is ridiculous.
10:31So since I was last here, what have you been up to?
10:34Yeah, we've done quite a lot of structural works inside.
10:36Yes.
10:36And then replaced the roof.
10:38All new lead work around the edges.
10:39Absolutely beautiful.
10:40Local guys have done it.
10:43At the moment, it all feels a bit hard to picture what the pub will look like.
10:48So, here's a graphic to help.
10:50The plan?
10:51Keep the bar where it is.
10:54Open up the dining room.
10:56Refresh the kitchen.
10:59Knock down and rebuild the toilet block.
11:02And add a second bar at the back with doors out to the courtyard.
11:08I didn't realise Peter and Phil had both built their own homes.
11:11You're reassured around them, aren't you?
11:13Totally capable.
11:15Totally optimistic.
11:16Totally behind it.
11:18Already putting in hours and hours of graft.
11:21They've already put in more work than I've put in on any house I've ever lived in.
11:26You come away thinking, ah, this will be done by the end of next week.
11:29But then you walk back out of the building and you think,
11:32have you seen how much there is to do?
11:34Like, there's a lot to do.
11:36There's holes in the outside.
11:38I mean, I've just done that one now.
11:40Just with me arm.
11:50A few days later, it's a cloudy Yorkshire Saturday.
11:55But instead of enjoying a weekend lie-in,
11:57the Plough's committed team of volunteers have gathered at the pub
12:00to tackle a huge job,
12:02doing as much of the work themselves to keep costs down.
12:08Morning.
12:09Good morning, John.
12:11So have you been waiting for me, eh? I'm sorry.
12:13Well, yeah, we needed a professional on site.
12:15You needed a muscle to arrive before you could get started.
12:17We thought of you.
12:18I've got a couple of presents for you.
12:19Thank you very much.
12:20Firstly, ah...
12:21You've got to come dressed.
12:22Lovely.
12:23You've got to come dressed.
12:24That's very kind.
12:25I expected something worse to be written on that.
12:28That's lovely. I'll take that.
12:29Is that for me as well?
12:30And high vis, if you will.
12:31So you can see me coming.
12:31Right.
12:32We're going to knock the toilets down today.
12:34So, er, we're going to take the roof off first
12:37and then, er, bit by bit, knock it down to the ground.
12:40Right, let's do it.
12:41Right, pretty good.
12:42Start.
12:42Brackets off.
12:44Doors off.
12:45It's been 14 years since these toilets have seen some action
12:48and now they're a real inconvenience.
12:52They're never taking all this down today.
12:56That's take me a week.
12:57You can't have this.
13:00Three tiles.
13:02You can't have three in here.
13:03You'd be covered.
13:05You'd come out looking like you've been pebble dashed.
13:08Horrific.
13:14Oh, yeah.
13:15All right.
13:17Get rid of it.
13:18Am I allowed in the ladies?
13:19I mean, technically the pub shop,
13:20but I don't want to get cancelled.
13:22Hello?
13:23Gentlemen coming in.
13:25Well, there's only one.
13:28One cubicle.
13:29Oh, you can't have that.
13:31That's the side of the times, innit?
13:33Should we have one for the ladies?
13:34No, just one.
13:36Do they go to toilet ladies?
13:37I think they do.
13:38I've never asked.
13:41Give it some pain.
13:42As the team gets stuck in,
13:44demolishing the toilets,
13:45I'm feeling just a smidge out of my depth.
13:48Is this your usual thing, John?
13:51DIY?
13:52Um, no.
13:53This is the sort of group
13:55I would usually have seen and run away.
13:59But, um...
14:00You're going to get a lot of shots
14:01of me pottering today.
14:02That's what I think.
14:04You're going to come, John.
14:05You're going now.
14:06That's it.
14:08Get my high vis on anyway
14:09so people can see me doing nothing.
14:13Important to be seen
14:14when you're not doing anything.
14:16Oh, I can't even get it on.
14:18This is the worst sort of bit for me.
14:20This is the big bricks.
14:22Once we get inside,
14:23we start talking about furnishing.
14:25That's when I can...
14:27That's when I can offer something.
14:30Can't even get me.
14:32Can't even get me.
14:36Is that how the bigger boys are doing it?
14:50I've invested in this derelict pub
14:52in the Yorkshire village of Fadmore
14:53in the hope that with enough vision
14:55and some serious elbow grease,
14:58me and a team of local volunteers
14:59can resurrect the heart of this community.
15:03Work on demolishing the old toilet block
15:05is in full swing
15:06and everyone is determined
15:07to make me get stuck in and graft.
15:10Do you want me to rip that off?
15:11Yeah, rip that off.
15:12I'll rip that off.
15:13That'll get manly, wouldn't it?
15:16In a manly way, then.
15:18There we go.
15:22Is everything going in there?
15:24That's a job for me, isn't it?
15:28I'm tidying.
15:29I'm tidying up.
15:34I'll take that.
15:37I'm going to tidy in, man.
15:38I've got a job.
15:43I can't believe the speed of it.
15:45So we're going to bring the telehandler in
15:47so we can use the basket on the front
15:49to get a bit of height.
15:51So, yeah, we're just going to strip the roof off.
15:53Are you salvaging all the tiles?
15:55Yeah.
15:55So you're not just lobbing them, are you?
15:56No, no.
15:57We'll salvage as many as we can.
16:01So you're just going to lift us up to Eves.
16:02I've been to Alton Towers.
16:04Whee!
16:07There's going to be some bugs under these, isn't there?
16:10Right.
16:11So we're literally going to take these off
16:13and we're going to hand them down
16:14to somebody who's not there yet.
16:16All right.
16:17The pub committee is determined to save
16:19and reuse as much of the original building as it can.
16:23Have I got anyone below me?
16:27Not anymore.
16:28That's a big web, that.
16:31I think there's a big spider under that one.
16:33Oh, man.
16:34He's not bothered.
16:37John will help
16:39in a different way to the rest of us, maybe.
16:42Whoa, whoa, whoa.
16:44There's some big spiders up.
16:46He's bringing different qualities already to the table.
16:50I'm acting like I'm cool with it, but I'm not.
16:55I hope you're going to be here when they're going back on again, you know.
16:57Are they numbered?
16:58Yeah.
17:00With as many roof tiles as possible salvaged,
17:03the old toilet block isn't long for this world.
17:06You've got a big one of them.
17:08Oh, yeah.
17:08It fixes everything.
17:09Just smash everything up.
17:14Years of pent-up rage.
17:19That's the trick.
17:29One more, it'll go.
17:31Woo!
17:33Just think of somebody you don't like.
17:36That's a big list.
17:38Yeah, he's a good lad.
17:38Yeah, he seems to be keen to get involved, throw himself into it.
17:43Clearly his skills are a little lacking.
17:45So I think it's the first time he's actually held a sledgehammer, as far as I can tell.
17:53Now we have wrecked it.
17:54Bloody vandal!
17:56I'm not John anymore.
17:58I'm someone else.
17:59I'm a new guy now.
18:00I don't know what my name is, but it's not John.
18:03I'm naked without a hammer now.
18:04A big bit coming.
18:07Oh, yes.
18:09I just smashed stuff down that's in my way.
18:12I don't see walls anymore.
18:13I see potential.
18:15I did that.
18:17There was a building there.
18:19With a bunch of hungry volunteers to feed, I've nominated myself to nip over to the nearby
18:24market town of Kirby Moorside for some sandwiches.
18:27And while I'm at it, to find out what the plough means to the locals.
18:33Hello there.
18:34Hello, good morning.
18:35How are you?
18:35I'm very well, how are you?
18:37I'm good, thank you.
18:37I'm after some takeaway sandwiches.
18:39Very good.
18:40Is that all right for some working men?
18:41Yes.
18:42A ham, cheese and chutney sandwich on Granary.
18:46Yeah.
18:46A turkey sandwich on Granary.
18:49A cheese and pickle sandwich on Granary.
18:51Yes.
18:52A ham salad box.
18:54Ham salad box with what salads?
18:56I've already got out of my depth.
18:59I'll just put something in.
19:00Follow your heart.
19:01And then I'm one of them vegans that you hear about on the news.
19:04Oh, am we?
19:05Yeah.
19:06Oh, right.
19:06I'll just have salad.
19:07Thank you very much.
19:08That's no problem.
19:09We'll go through and make those for you now.
19:11Okay.
19:12Vanessa, one sandwich, your lettuce and two salad boxes.
19:17Vodka, marmalade.
19:18See, this is how you know you're going to be happy somewhere.
19:21Vodka, marmalade, box fizz, marmalade.
19:24There's wine in the mushroom soup.
19:27Everyone around here is on it.
19:28This pub's going to be fine.
19:33Taking them on to Fadma.
19:35Fadma?
19:36Fadma.
19:36Do you know it?
19:37Yeah.
19:38Do you know the plough?
19:38I know it well.
19:39Did you go in there when it was open?
19:41Very happy memories, yes.
19:41Oh, really?
19:42Yeah, mum and dad used to go nearly every Saturday night for the supper.
19:45And there was a gentleman who used to sit at the end of the bar, clock everybody in and everybody
19:50out.
19:51Yeah.
19:51And if you nicked his seat, you were in big trouble.
19:55That sounds like I'm going to, that's going to be my new role.
19:57That'll be your seat.
19:58Yeah, absolutely.
19:59Yeah.
19:59Yeah.
19:59It's going to be special when it's open.
20:01You'll have to come up.
20:02Oh, it will be.
20:02I'll make you a sandwich.
20:03Oh, good.
20:04If you were going to have people coming from all around for a sandwich, what sandwich would
20:07you do?
20:08It doesn't matter what you give them or what they want, as long as you put plenty in.
20:12Absolutely.
20:13Our trait in the Yorkshire world is give them plenty.
20:18That's not what the world thinks the Yorkshire trait is.
20:21The world thinks Yorkshire people are tight.
20:23We're tight, but we're generous.
20:24With food, you're generous.
20:25We charge them.
20:26Yeah.
20:26Oh, I see.
20:27You can charge them, but you've given them plenty.
20:30Okay.
20:30There you go, John.
20:31Enjoy your lunch.
20:32I will do.
20:33They look beautiful.
20:33I'll look forward to a sandwich at the pub.
20:35Yeah, we'll see you up there soon as I'll get you rafting.
20:38Thank you very much.
20:38Take care.
20:39Ta-da.
20:39Bye-bye.
20:42Well, that's one future customer in the bag.
20:45Now, to get back to my crew.
20:50Where's my hungry boys?
20:54Daddy's got food for his hungry boys.
20:57Oh, dear.
21:01It was a bit of fun.
21:02Got into the swing of hammers.
21:04Yeah.
21:05Breaking stuff.
21:06I'm going to be sore tomorrow, that's what everyone says.
21:08You won't be off to the gym tonight, then?
21:10No, it would break the habit of a lifetime.
21:15Everyone's given up their Saturday for free to demolish the loose,
21:18but goodwill won't cover the costs involved in rebuilding them.
21:21So Peter, our committee chairman,
21:23is gearing up for a meeting to drum up some much-needed cash.
21:28You've got to persuade people to buy more shares and get more involved from that point of view.
21:34You know, there's a load of material that's going to be needed,
21:37so the more we can get free, beg, borrowed.
21:40A lot of the roof tiles are very kindly donated by a lady from Appleton, the Moors.
21:44So we'll just be driving around local villages looking for stuff.
21:48Yep.
21:49Yep.
21:49We sometimes do it at night.
21:53They're crossing their fingers for a good crowd at the investors' meeting,
21:56so they can convince as many as possible to help top up the pub's restoration fund.
22:01The goal, really, just to explain where we are and what's happening with everything,
22:07and then look through our next steps.
22:10Introduce yourself.
22:11OK.
22:12I feel like I should bring a gift then, should I?
22:14Should I bring beer to make everyone like me?
22:16Beer would be good, yeah.
22:18Right.
22:19That'll cheer us all up.
22:20OK.
22:23Everyone's telling me we need more money for the restoration,
22:25but no-one's mentioned how much.
22:28And with the investors' meeting looming,
22:30I want the full picture about how far short we really are.
22:34So I'm paying a visit to the woman who holds the purse strings.
22:39We are at Ruth's farm.
22:41Ruth is a chicken farmer, that's why all the chickens are here.
22:44But crucially, she's the treasurer for the pub,
22:46so she's going to tell me exactly what the situation is financially.
22:51And I'm going to tell her at some point that I'm scared of chickens.
22:55For Ruth, chicken farming isn't just a job, it's a way of life.
23:00For me to make sure each hen house has got layers, pellets, water, grit, milk,
23:07plus fresh straw, shavings, and then, you know, taking the eggs away.
23:11Sometimes I feel like my existence on this planet is purely to be nice to chickens.
23:17I mean, I'm not sure if they appreciate it.
23:23Ooh!
23:25I've picked out all my nicest cardigans,
23:28and I'm just, I'm not allowed to be myself.
23:33But I dressed for a finished pub,
23:36and I didn't realise that in order to get to a finished pub,
23:39you first have to be a chicken farmer.
23:41But I'll do what I'm told.
23:44I only wanted to ask about the money.
23:47I'm ready, boss.
23:49Where's best for us to chat?
23:52Do you want to chat in here?
23:54Well, I've got jobs for you before we chat.
23:58Follow me.
24:00Ooh!
24:01All right, let's all chill out, honey milk.
24:04It's like a sort of budget version of the birds.
24:08That's right.
24:11Right, I'll leave you doing that,
24:13and I'll go and fill this one up.
24:14We will speak at some point, though, won't we?
24:17Oh, look.
24:19We do have a bit of chicken shed cleaning out to do.
24:22Everything off the floor into the wheelbarrow?
24:25Yes.
24:25Yeah?
24:26All right.
24:29Yes.
24:31Hello, Rachel!
24:39What is going on?
24:40How do you lift it up?
24:43I just want anyone watching to know.
24:45It's telly, isn't it?
24:46So they're like, oh, we'll get him in,
24:47and there'll be a bit of mucking about, but we'll film it.
24:50She's genuinely just gone.
24:52I'll fiddle with that big knob.
24:55OK, Rachel.
24:57This better stay in the edit.
24:59If I watch it, and you've cut all this,
25:01I will be fuming.
25:07Do you want to buy some sheds in it, Pop?
25:09I'm done.
25:10You can have them.
25:18Finally, it's time to sit down and talk money.
25:23It's grubby and very un-British, isn't it, to mention specifics, but, like, you know the numbers better than anyone.
25:29There's a lot of people down there now who are loving ripping walls out and getting stuff ready to go.
25:34But in terms of the budget, how much have we got, how much do we need, and how do you
25:38get that going?
25:39What we've got in the account at the moment is $64,500.
25:45We've got a VAT bill of about $1,000, and we would like a slush fund of about $10,000,
25:52so what does that bring us down to?
25:53$53,000.
25:54$53,000?
25:55Yeah, $53,000.
25:56So that's $53,000 in the Pop, but the projected overall costs keep mounting up.
26:01And then, yeah, figures keep coming in to me all the time.
26:05The last sheet that I saw was, let's say, $125,000.
26:11With costs of roughly $125,000 and rising, that means at least a £70,000 hole in the Pub's finances.
26:19We do desperately, urgently need more funds in.
26:23How do we get that financial shortfall then?
26:27We're hoping that the existing shareholders are going to give a bit more.
26:33It's hitting home just what a mammoth task this renovation is, and why the upcoming investors meeting is so important.
26:40Without a big cash boost, we won't get the Pub open again.
27:04Back at the Pub.
27:05Just hang on a minute.
27:06Just whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
27:09I'm trying to get the glass out without breaking it, please.
27:12Sheep farmer John and the gang are still hard at work knocking down the old toilet block,
27:17which is clearly the most action this sleepy village has seen in a while.
27:26They're making good progress.
27:28A bit different to a couple of weeks ago.
27:30Oh yeah, roof off.
27:31No tiles, no timber even two weeks ago.
27:37I know there's a lot of work gone into it to get it to this stage.
27:41There's a lot of work to go.
27:43There's a lot of work here.
27:43There's a driving force they have behind it.
27:45It will get done.
27:46It will, yeah.
27:49We want to preserve as much of the pub's heritage as possible,
27:52so the beautiful old tiles from the toilet floor are being lifted to be reused in the bar area,
27:57which will handily help us cut down on spending.
28:01I know it's not very nice at the moment, but we've got a nice tiled area here,
28:06which runs through into the snug, which ran outside.
28:08And so we're hoping to, if we can find some more, we're hoping to put them back down
28:14and create an area around where we're going to extend the bar,
28:19because it's easy to keep clean, and we're hoping to be doggy friendly.
28:24Yeah.
28:24But we're going up to here, or maybe right through.
28:27If we could find, at the right price, we would do all this area,
28:32and the area through the back as well, which should be a dream.
28:38A lot of work, but it'd be nice.
28:40So forgive my naivety, is this finished then?
28:43Are you hoping to just clean this up and leave it as is?
28:46Yeah.
28:47You get that clean, that's how they used to be when I first remember this pub.
28:50They're beautiful.
28:51Yeah, we think they are.
28:53So if we could find some more, it'd be great.
28:57It's lovely that you can remember them from when you walked in last time.
29:01I remember it before it was carpeted.
29:05I've been coming in here longer than I should have been.
29:07I can hear the sound of laughter.
29:08I can hear a pint going down on one of these and smashing and a big,
29:11ooo-ay!
29:12A few of them?
29:13One of them, yeah.
29:17Everyone in the village has got a vivid memory of what the pub was like.
29:21And what it could be again.
29:24Me and my wife did a lot of our courting in there.
29:27I had my stag party in there.
29:29I wet my firstborn son head in there.
29:34If you wanted to go somewhere special, you would come to the plough
29:37and it was always like a massive treat.
29:39So I do remember coming as a small child.
29:41I remember coming a bit later when I was in my teens.
29:45Just walking in and just feeling the warmth there and the stalwarts at the bar.
29:51You just feel like you were wrapped in a nice blanket.
29:55To find out more about how the plough became part of the fabric of Fadmore,
30:00I'm popping in on two of the committee's longest-serving members,
30:03Bob and Dave, who've lived in the village for decades.
30:08I've been told to bring beer.
30:10Hello there.
30:11Nice to see you again.
30:12Good to see you.
30:13I've brought gifts.
30:14Good morning.
30:15Thank you very much.
30:17There he's out.
30:18Keep the warming.
30:20Turning, isn't it?
30:21Hello, Bob.
30:22Hello.
30:23How are you?
30:24I'm fine.
30:25I brought some beers.
30:26Let's open it.
30:30Right.
30:31Come to look, it's a more photograph, so I believe.
30:33Is that right?
30:34I just can't believe it was ever actually a pub.
30:36I've spent so much time in there staring at bricks.
30:39I just don't believe anyone's ever.
30:41I think it's a trick.
30:42When we first moved up here 46 years ago,
30:45if you wanted a meal on a Saturday night,
30:48you've about four months in front.
30:51Wow.
30:51Cheers, anyway.
30:52Full of them.
30:52Cheers.
30:53Cheers.
30:54Cheers.
30:54Cheers, Bob.
30:55Cheers.
30:58So, where do you want to start?
31:00You tell me.
31:01This is where the bar used to be.
31:03The bar of Knoxville.
31:04So that's the main room.
31:05And that's the same bar, isn't it?
31:06Because I recognise the carvings on it there.
31:08Yeah.
31:09Everyone's told me about the waiting list for a table.
31:11Was it an eating pub or a drinking pub?
31:13It was a drinking pub,
31:15but then he made it into a famous French restaurant type.
31:18Right.
31:19So that would have been the menu for the food?
31:22Yeah.
31:23There you are, look.
31:24I've got hair, then.
31:26You are having a good time.
31:29That's another one.
31:30So you're all suited and booted here.
31:32So what's happened now?
31:33Is that a...
31:33Because you don't get dressed up anyway.
31:35You don't look like roughy and scruffy,
31:37and it's like you do now.
31:38So this is a regular pub night, but you would get dressed up?
31:41I mean, I mean, on a Saturday, we'll be having a meal.
31:43And you put your suit on.
31:45Yeah, yeah.
31:45Love it.
31:46Absolutely love it.
31:47And are you going to bring that back?
31:49Is there going to be a dress code?
31:51I wouldn't have thought to...
31:53Have you still got these suits?
31:55Oh, yeah.
31:56Yeah, but we can't get in them.
31:58First night we reopen,
31:59when you put these suits back on.
32:01Should I know these people?
32:03No, they're dead.
32:05They're all gone.
32:07They're all gone.
32:08I love the way you say that.
32:10No, they're dead.
32:11That is what I wanted to see.
32:14Pints on the bar.
32:15They're not smiling because they've been told to smile for a picture.
32:18They're just laughing.
32:19I feel, looking at these,
32:22like genuinely emotional about a pub.
32:25I never went in.
32:26People I've never met.
32:27I feel like I want this pub back.
32:31I want that picture there of all the fish.
32:33I want all the pictures there of the horses.
32:35I want the old brass lamps up.
32:37I love it.
32:38Do you know what?
32:39That has like re-energised me, seeing all those.
32:42Because I feel like I've been in there now.
32:49Dave and Bob told me that the old pub was renowned
32:52for serving great grub and perfect pints.
32:54And if we want the new plough to live up to that reputation,
32:57we need some top local producers on board.
33:00So next day, I'm on a mission to land our first supplier.
33:06I'm on my way to a brewery.
33:08I'm very excited.
33:10There's been a lot of talk about tiles and roofs and building work
33:14and not enough talk about beer.
33:15So I'm just going to get a little keg today
33:17so everyone can have a little drink at the meeting tonight
33:20and a little taste of what is to come when the project is finished.
33:25I've done quite a few brewery tours.
33:28I love the smell of them.
33:30They smell like sort of sexy porridge.
33:35I regret saying that.
33:39I've come to the market town of Helmsley,
33:42about seven miles southwest of Fadmoor.
33:46So much brewing.
33:47Beer's brewing.
33:51Hello there.
33:52Hello.
33:54I've come for beer.
33:55You've come to the right place.
33:56I know, I can smell it.
33:58Good.
33:58I am here on behalf of the plough at Fadmoor.
34:01Yes.
34:02I've heard of them.
34:03Very much so.
34:04They're trying to get the pub back to what it was, basically.
34:07We have supplied beer to a couple of their sort of pre-pub festivals.
34:11All the malt is UK malt.
34:14We try and source as much of it as possible from Yorkshire Maltsters.
34:17We have an English hop in every beer.
34:20When we brew speciality beers like the honey beer,
34:23our honey is from Flickston, which is near Firely.
34:29Across the UK, there are more than 1,600 independent breweries.
34:33The Helmsley Brewing Company has been brewing beer since 2014,
34:36and each year they churn out 300,000 pints of the stuff.
34:41So I can hear the brewing going on.
34:43That's all happening in this building.
34:46Yeah.
34:46Can I see where you make it?
34:48Absolutely.
34:48Yeah?
34:49The process begins upstairs with Mike, the brewer.
34:53Hey, John.
34:54Mike.
34:55Nice to meet you.
34:55How are you upstairs?
34:56I'm all right.
34:57How are you?
34:57Yeah, not too bad.
34:58Give us a hand with the speciality malt, if you want.
35:00Yeah, why not?
35:01Yeah.
35:01I'm not going to ruin it, am I?
35:02I hope not.
35:04So you might want to take your coat off this one.
35:08There you are.
35:09There we go.
35:15Brill.
35:16And then in between that, we'll get...
35:18He's feeling it already.
35:19I'm fine, I'm fine.
35:21Just get my inhaler.
35:27Mike is the master when it comes to creating the perfect beer.
35:32How's this looking?
35:33I must do.
35:33Doing great.
35:33Yeah, great job.
35:35Do you enjoy the fact that, I guess, at a brewery this size, you can still experiment and try stuff?
35:39Kyle's been great that I can, he's given me the opportunity to come up with different beers and just, and
35:44give me the confidence to, you know, 800 litres, off you go.
35:47That's quite daunting.
35:48Yeah.
35:49What's that, about 1,500 pints?
35:51Yeah, roughly around that, isn't it?
35:53Yeah.
35:53It's a big weekend.
35:54It's a good weekend.
35:56So, yeah, these are different hops.
35:58The English hop Admiral.
35:59If you just get a little bit and kind of, you can rub it in your hand, that'll open up.
36:03So if you just get like that, you'll see the yellowness coming out.
36:07And that's all what we call lupolin, all the essential oils.
36:10A bit of Eldorado.
36:12Break it up and you rub it in your hands.
36:15It's a much more tropical...
36:16Yeah, it's very lemony.
36:18Yeah.
36:19Grass, like lemongrass.
36:20Yeah.
36:20I was going to say it's lemony and grassy.
36:21I just thought I'd say it's like lemongrass.
36:23Put it together, put it together.
36:24Why wouldn't you?
36:25As nice as it is indulging my love of beer, I've got thirsty investors waiting.
36:31I mean, I have got a meeting, but if you've got something that's finished that I can take now...
36:35We'll take you round the back.
36:36Lovely.
36:37That sounded ominous.
36:39Am I getting shot?
36:41Time for the best bit, sampling some of Mike's latest batch of ale.
36:45Would you like to try some of the gold?
36:47Well, I'd be irresponsible not to.
36:49If I'm giving it to my guests, I feel like I should try it.
36:51You need to know what you're giving them.
36:53Yeah.
36:53Brilliant.
36:53Yeah, go on.
36:55Is this all just full of beer, then?
36:57800 litres of the stuff.
36:58Oh.
36:59It will become clearer.
37:02One sip is enough to tell me it's the perfect fit for the new plough.
37:06Hopefully, a taste of the future might loosen a few purse strings at the investors' meeting.
37:11That's absolutely delicious.
37:12Yeah.
37:13I'm glad you like it.
37:13We'll take it.
37:14Brilliant.
37:14Got a barrel there and you can take it off.
37:16There we go.
37:18Now I'm not going to be able to pick it up either, am I?
37:20There you go.
37:22Thanks.
37:24Cheers, then.
37:25No worries.
37:25Ta-da.
37:29I love the feeling that you're supporting a local endeavour by having a pint, and that's
37:33what the plough needs, that feeling that everything is so local, and you're supporting the regrowth
37:38of pubs, and you're supporting a community asset, that by going there, you can not only
37:44have a pint and a meal, but feel smug about yourself.
37:46And I've had a lovely afternoon talking about beer, I've had a couple of sips, and I basically
37:51feel like Mother Teresa.
37:54But I'm still worried about tonight's meeting, because if people don't get on board and open
37:59their wallets, it could all be game over.
38:19Back in Fadmore, the old toilet block is no more, but before the new one can be built,
38:24plans will have to be submitted and approved.
38:28It's mad how quick this has all happened, isn't it?
38:32I think if you're a practical person, these things don't seem that big a deal to you,
38:35but this is huge.
38:38There was a toilet here before.
38:40Anyway, I've got to give a speech tonight, so check myself.
38:44Am I ready?
38:45Am I ready to convince people to put more money into this pub?
38:49I hope so.
38:56RIP toilet.
39:03With a £70,000 shortfall in the pub's renovation fund, tonight's meeting needs to go well, or
39:09the whole project could be in jeopardy.
39:16I think they know I'm here.
39:18Dave and Bob told me how food was a big part of the pub's reputation, so I'm off to meet
39:23committee member Jane and hospitality consultant Jackie, who are in charge of canapes.
39:29Oh, it smells amazing.
39:31Jackie?
39:32Hello, Jackie.
39:33Hi.
39:35Hi, I'm Jackie.
39:36Nice to meet you.
39:37Come through and help us do some canapes.
39:40Lovely.
39:41Jackie's got a background in hospitality, and a keen eye for detail, as it turns out.
39:46So when you put the prawns in, then you put that in like that.
39:49Wow.
39:50And so it stands up, so it looks like a flower.
39:52You have faith in your investors that they're going to notice and appreciate this effort.
39:57Do you know what?
39:59People don't notice the good things, but they notice the bad things.
40:03Yeah.
40:03Yeah, you've read my reviews.
40:06It's true, they notice the bad things.
40:08The good things just go unmissed.
40:10Yes.
40:10So we need to make sure it's absolutely Bob-on.
40:13Right.
40:13We want to set a standard this evening.
40:15That's really important, because moving forward with the business, we want everyone to know
40:20how dedicated we are to ensuring that they get a really good offering.
40:24Yeah.
40:24And that piece of chervil standing up...
40:28That could stop someone investing 10 grand.
40:30It might do.
40:30Well, the chervil was flat.
40:31It might do, or it might not.
40:32You never know.
40:33So the pressure on the food is to set the standard for the pub renovation as a whole,
40:38or are you just saying, when the food's on, this is how good it's going to be?
40:42We just want to set a standard from now.
40:46So we're planning on opening the pub in April.
40:49Yeah.
40:49And we want to set a standard of it's going to be a professional operation.
40:54Yes.
40:55Okay, good.
40:56I mean, I've done this all my life, and literally I just say to everybody, it's just three things.
41:01Good food and drink, good service, and good ambience.
41:05That's it.
41:06It's not rocket science, is it?
41:07No.
41:07Food and drink I can see happening.
41:09How do you create the ambience?
41:11Lighting, fires, nice furniture, staff, everything.
41:17Okay, that's interesting.
41:19It's heartening to hear Jackie talk.
41:22Her vision is going to be key to pushing this project over the line.
41:28It's a real asset to the community that they've got, those two sides,
41:31because you need a group of men who want to go and smash a wall down on a Saturday morning,
41:37and you need people from business who have experience of running successful pubs,
41:42if that's going to survive.
41:43It's one thing getting it open, it's another thing keeping it open.
41:46They'll get it open, and she'll keep it open.
42:05Tonight in Fadmore's all about the village pulling together,
42:08the committee and the locals side by side,
42:11to raise more cash to try and bring the plough back to life.
42:18Committee member Ed is the temporary licensee for the pub,
42:21and luckily he knows how to tap a cask, because I haven't got a clue.
42:27So it just goes in there and give it a good whack.
42:29How hard do you mean, like proper?
42:30Oh, like, yeah.
42:31You're stepping back, aren't you?
42:32I am, just in case.
42:33Go again.
42:35That in?
42:35I'm such a hammer man now.
42:37There you go.
42:38I've never hammered so much in my life.
42:40Do you want your pint?
42:41We've got to check, haven't we?
42:42Be irresponsible not to, wouldn't it?
42:47There you go.
42:47I won't waste a full pint.
42:51Very passable.
42:53Yeah.
42:54Not bad for your first go.
42:57Good evening.
42:59Thank you, man.
42:59Thank you all, sir.
43:00With a shortfall in the renovation pot of at least £70,000,
43:04tonight's meeting is crucial for Chairman Peter.
43:07How are you feeling?
43:08I'm getting a bit nervous, so you must be nervous.
43:11Always nervous doing presentations.
43:13These people have invested their own personal money
43:15in something that you are in charge of.
43:17There is a responsibility there, isn't there?
43:19They're putting their cash into this project,
43:21and we've got to protect that at the end of the day.
43:23At least they're coming.
43:24They really are.
43:25It's going to be good numbers.
43:26Yeah, that's right.
43:28OK, everybody.
43:30Good evening.
43:32And welcome along to this investor update this evening.
43:37We bought the place 30 September 2024,
43:40and we had some nice drinks that evening standing in the pub.
43:44And then there's a sudden realisation that that's just the easy bit.
43:47We've got over 180 investors now.
43:50We've got about £55,000 working capital.
43:54So we need money.
43:55So if you know anybody who's interested, send them to talk to us.
43:58We can tell them all about it.
44:00So I will hand over to John Richardson.
44:12The thing you can't measure that makes a pub brilliant
44:14is the atmosphere when you go in there,
44:17and that's down to the people.
44:18And I can just tell when the pub is open,
44:19it's going to be such a lovely place to be.
44:21I can't wait to secure this pub as somewhere
44:24that when my career eventually nosedives, as it will,
44:28I can come and get drunk in here and not be thrown out,
44:30cos I can scream.
44:31And as a shareholder, you cannot throw me out.
44:35But thank you for making me so welcome,
44:37and I hope we can help you get the pub back to what it needs to be.
44:40Thank you, Peter.
44:45With the speeches done,
44:47let's hope we've managed to convince the locals
44:49to invest more in the pub.
44:51Have you invested in this one?
44:53Yes, I have.
44:53Have you?
44:54Yeah, yeah.
44:55And give what they've just said, we might invest a wee bit more.
44:57Oh, really?
44:57I don't know if you noticed the angle
44:59that the herbs were on top of the prawns.
45:02That was you.
45:02Is that you?
45:03Thank God you're an investor.
45:04That was probably the moment.
45:05You wouldn't have realised it,
45:06but that was the moment when you thought,
45:08perhaps we will invest more.
45:09Yeah, yeah.
45:10And it's those little things.
45:11That was the tipping point.
45:12Yeah.
45:14I brought a keg of beer and everyone's drinking wine.
45:16I'm slightly upset.
45:17No, which is why, obviously,
45:18we thought we'd take it for the team.
45:20Thank you very much.
45:20I appreciate it.
45:21We'll have to have a beer.
45:23I keep telling him to tell me a joke
45:25and he won't tell me a joke.
45:26Knock, knock.
45:27Tell me one joke.
45:28Knock, knock.
45:28Who's there?
45:29The guy who runs the community hall
45:30asking to lock up.
45:31Bye.
45:34The big question is whether all the enthusiasm
45:37in the room tonight will translate into more cash
45:39or if it's simply people cheering us on.
45:43That was great.
45:44That was really good.
45:45The food went down well.
45:46The beer went.
45:48Everyone I spoke to said it had been a really good event.
45:50They were delighted they've invested.
45:52They're going to invest more.
45:54I mean, the fact remains,
45:56they're worth 70 grand short,
45:57so it's got to be concrete investment now.
46:01I feel bad that I'm the sort of secret troll
46:03because they're all so positive.
46:06And in my head, I keep thinking,
46:08I've been in there, you haven't got a floor.
46:10They're all talking about, like, spring.
46:12Oh, we'll have a few pints in there at Christmas.
46:14We'll be open by spring.
46:14I think, there's nothing in there.
46:16There's no walls.
46:22Next time, we size up the local competition.
46:25Oh, my goodness.
46:27Isn't it lovely?
46:28I wouldn't change a thing.
46:30Plough renovations go from bad to worse.
46:33I just don't have the emotional makeup for a job like this.
46:36They just get on with it.
46:37And I get my first sheep auction gig.
46:40I feel I've let you down, John.
46:42I do feel as if you let us down, John.
46:44I do feel as if you let us down.
47:14I do feel as if you let us down.
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