Agamemnon

Hi wrinkly67 , thanks for the enquiry. As cgksheff said, we took over running of the pub last week, we'll be having a launch event later in the summer once we're settled in. We also have a website (still under development!) where we'll keep people up to date with our news. The website is: thegardenersrest.com

No, not too late to join. The crowdfunder website has the documents explaining who we are and what our plans are, you can access it here: http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/gardenersrest/?

Hi, The Share offer was a great success and we raised over £237,000; we now have four hundred or so members of the society and we're negotiating with various lenders to get the best deal on another £100,000. Once that's cleared up in the next week or two, we'll be able to enter conveyancing with the current owners with a view to taking over the the pub in the next month or two. Our advice for other groups would be: yes, go for it! We initially approached a charity called the Plunkett Foundation (http://www.plunkett.co.uk/ ) and through their 'more than a pub' scheme, got an experienced advisor who was able to provide lots of support, they also gave us a grant which paid for various things to get us going, including a fantastic video. So perhaps they're a good starting point.

Last night's meeting was good, thanks. What happens next: we keep on going! The more money we raise from the share offer, the less we’ll need to secure from other sources to buy the pub. So £100,000 was our minimum value, without that we wouldn’t proceed. Now we have that, we can negotiate with other lenders with a view to buying the pub. But of course, the more we can get through the share offer, the stronger our position will be. So please, keep on spreading the word! ---------- Post added 14-11-2016 at 20:02 ---------- 131k invested so far with 213 members investing: amazing support for the project! Keep spreading the word, 14 days to raise our stretch target of 150k. We'll be in the gardeners on Tuesday evening if anyone wants to meet with us.

yes it's great news! We're going to keep going, so if anyone wants to meet us, we'll be in the Gardeners Rest from 8pm this evening.

Thanks for the support, we're almost at £61,000. It's great that so many people have invested and want to be part of an exciting community venture. Those of us who acted as trustees for the community association can't wait to meet all of the new members! ---------- Post added 01-11-2016 at 12:34 ---------- Just a reminder that if anyone would like to meet with us and discuss the Gardeners Rest share offer, some of us will be in the gardeners for a Q&A session tonight (Tuesday) at 8pm. Thanks ---------- Post added 04-11-2016 at 18:57 ---------- We're well on the way to our goal - make sure we get over the line. Invest and share today: http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/gardenersrest

Thanks for those who have pledged their support, in a little over a week, we've already raised 45k towards our target of 100k. If anyone's interested in supporting but wants to talk about who we are and get to know us. One of our group will be at the Gardeners Rest on Tuesday evening at 8pm for a Q&A. Thanks!

Hi and thanks for all the interest shown in the community buyout. It's six days from the share offer launch and we've already received £30,000 via our crowd-funder site. That's 30% in less than a week! Thank you all that are backing us, be that by investment or simply by spreading the word. It's an amazing start! Our intention is as simple as it's honest: We wish to purchase the pub from the current owners who are retiring; We wish to maintain the current eclectic mix of customers that use the pub and keep it's unique atmosphere; We also intend to create a space for people with learning difficulties to gain employment experience in a safe and mentored environment; It really is that simple! To answer a few of the questions raised. The asset of community value (which stops the current owners from selling the pub for x amount of months) was considered but we decided that it may hamper the current owners from selling the pub, should our share offer fail to reach the required level. We don't wish to delay their retirement (we're nice guys...). Is it an investment? Well perhaps not in the same way as putting 100k on the London Stock Exchange; we won't pay annual dividends. But on the other hand, we will pay 5% on your investment at the end of three years if you want to withdraw your shares (2.5% for investors under £1,000). That's better then most current saving accounts. The shares are also tax deductible at a rate of 30%. Moreover, it's an investment in a social enterprise that will try and do good things for people that need help. Is the business a goer? We believe the Gardeners is a viable business (it already is and has been for 18 years under continuous ownership). We believe it should be ran by the community who use the pub; that it should be ran as a commercial enterprise on behalf of that community to enrich it, bind friendships, promote social actives, with all decisions been taken by the community who ultimately will own the space. It sounds like we're old hippies, we're not; we do however believe in social enterprise. We can pay for the many benefits it will bring through a profitable business whose profits will be reinvested in the social enterprise (the charitable bit about employment for people with learning difficulties, etc). As for questions about the business plan, an internet forum isn't the right place for that kind of discussion, we do hope that potential investors will contact us via the website, or come to the Gardeners on Tuesday evening at 8pm for a Q&A session. In either case ,we're happy to talk through the business plan but it's better done in person. Is the pub under danger of demolition? Quite simply, no one knows. A pub co has put in a very generous offer, if the share offer is successful we'll match that offer. But the current owners will sell the pub this winter and while they wish to see it remain a free house, if no reasonable offer is received then they may sell to a property developer. Either way, a Pub Co or flats, both are what we're trying to avoid. So our message is simple, the future is uncertain, but we've put our cards on the table and we've said what we'd like to do with the business. If our message appeals to you, we'd love for you to help. Thanks!

Hi, Thanks for all the interest. The best place to answer your questions would be in the pub tonight (Tuesday 18th at 8 pm) if you can make it; always easier to talk things through in person. But in a nutshell, if you buy shares, you become a member of the community group. Any discussion of profits, share opts outs, can be agreed by common vote in that group. So by way of example, if the business was failing, I might propose that we sell to a property developer and that any profits from the sale go to other charities, agreed upon by common vote. Everyone could vote on my proposal and either agree with me or vote me down. But ultimately, as members of the community association, we decide collectively what the rules are. You’re right when you say this isn’t a commercial investment, it’s a community one. If you could make it tonight, it would be great to see you all and talk through the proposal.

Yes, it's tomorrow, the 18th. Come down, get to know us and the pub!

Hi, That's a brilliant link, I had no idea Sheffield beer was so famous! Thanks. As for the viability of the Gardeners Rest, yes: the pub is viable. It's not up for sale because profits are down, it's up for sale because the current owners wish to retire. If you look at our business case that's also on the link (crowdfunder.co.uk/gardenersrest/?), you can see that beer sales for this spring against last are up by 7%. The area is quickly changing and the demographic of the pub is also changing. We're sure the business isn't just viable, but that it's positivly profitable. Thanks for showing an interest!

Hi Nagel, The 5% is paid on you withdrawing your money from the society, and the equal voting rights are just that, I've put x hundred in and I get the same voting rights at the AGM as another other share holder, irrespective of how much they've put it, So this isn't a commercial venture, it's about charity, It's about creating a space where people with learning difficulties can get employment experience, but most of all, it's about saving a much loved pub. If anyone is interested, just contact us on our facebook or twitter accounts (both on the crowdfunder link), you can also see a great video that shows off the gardeners rest and shows what we're trying to save! ...and coming up for air... finally, yes the prospectus is entirely legal. The Gardeners Rest Community Society is a legal entity with a bank account, it's registered as: A Community Benefit Society registered by The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA): Registration number: 7393 Pop down, experience the pub and if interested, invest! Remember, it's for charity!!! P.S. Mark, one of our group, will be at the Gardeners Rest on Tuesday evening doing a question and answer session for anyone that's interested in owning part of a pub.