Big breakfast event raises more than £700 for mission to save Redgrave’s Cross Keys pub

The full English went down well at a Big Breakfast held in a village trying to buy its only pub.

Hungry families queued for tables at the breakfast, which rounded off a busy week of events that raised more than £3,000 towards the fund to buy the Redgrave Cross Keys.

Around 130 breakfasts were served, making more than £700, and other successes in the week included a presentation by TV antiques expert and auctioneer Elizabeth Talbot, from T W Gaze, of Diss, which added more than £900, and a village quiz night, which brought in another £757.

A further £815 came when Smartie tubes filled with coins were emptied.

There has been a race to raise funds since March when the owners of the centuries-old pub offered to sell it for £300,000 and the village voted decisively to buy it as a community venture and keep it open.

The village was granted a six-month moratorium which prevented it being sold elsewhere, but that ran out this week.

The sense of community spirit has been absolutely priceless

However, with other fund-raisers and the sale of shares in the pub, £185,000 has been accumulated since May and the village has a provisional promise of £100,000 from the Plunkett Foundation, which helps to set up community co-operatives. If it is not bought, pub will close and its car park will be developed for housing.

“We are within shouting distance,” said Fiona Kenworthy, a member of the steering committee set up to save the pub for the village.

The committee was still receiving inquiries about buying shares and local musician Peter Cresswell has volunteered to stage a concert on November 18 to raise more money, she said.

Support for the fund had been “fantastic” and the steering committee was able to look forward “very positively”.

“The sense of community spirit has been absolutely priceless,” added Mrs Kenworthy.

To find out more about the fund, go to www.redgrave communitysociety.com .