Please be aware that this is the website of the Community Boot Inn Limited, the organisation that owns but does not run the pub. For bookings, enquiries and menus, please visit the pub website here.
The Society
The Community Boot Inn (Orleton) Ltd (CBIL) is a Community Benefit Society that was formed to purchase the Boot Inn and secure its future for the benefit of the community. It is fully registered with the Financial Conduct Authority with a registration number of 7727. Purchase of the minimum number of shares confers membership of the Society, giving members control over the business through the annual election of a Management Committee and voting rights on significant issues at regular meetings. Community Benefit Societies (CBS) are by law intended to be democratic organisations and all members have an equal vote regardless of the size of their shareholding. Members also have the protection of limited liability. The Society’s rules contain a statutory asset lock. This is a constitutional device that prevents the distribution of residual assets to members. The purpose of the asset lock is to ensure that the community benefit of any retained surplus or residual value cannot be appropriated for the private benefit of members after all members’ share capital has been refunded according to the rules of the society. This means that the value of the CBS assets always remains in the CBS for the benefit of the community. In other words, the value of membership shares will not rise or fall with the value of the CBS assets. They will remain fixed in price. You can find a copy of the CBIL rules here.
“Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”
Our aim was to secure, through this community purchase, the future of the Boot Inn for the benefit of Orleton and the wider community as a flourishing, friendly and welcoming village pub operating as a free house that serves local beers and sensibly priced, freshly cooked, quality food using primarily locally sourced ingredients. It should be at the heart of the village as a place for social gatherings, cultural activities, somewhere to meet people and exchange information and promote a cohesive and supportive community in the area. We can already see the realisation of some of the benefits that were originally envisaged, including:
“Maintaining a place to meet friends and neighbours and improving the sense of community.”
“Providing a central point of information on community events and local issues.”
“Substantial improvements to the fabric of the building and the facilities it offer.”
“Creating opportunities for local employment.”
“Injecting money into the local economy.”
“Providing a hospitality venue for local groups, tourists and hosting weddings and funerals.”
Having established a firm foundation we now seek to build upon this initial success by embarking upon the next steps designed to improve the operational capability of the pub and to expand the facilities and services it can offer to the community as a whole.
We are part of the ‘More than a Pub’ scheme which is funded by government and administered through the Plunkett Foundation. This programme gives us a lot of support and access to funding but more importantly its ethos is at the heart of what we are trying to do.
The Boot has always been at the heart of the community and we really want it to be a hub around which wider community activities are organised. As a vital asset at the heart of the community we have plans to widen what is offered from The Boot. Most importantly we want members of the community to feel free to suggest ideas to the CBIL committee.
