Brighton’s first community pub is to be sold by the charity that owns it and, in the meantime, the opening hours will be cut and it will close at weekends.
The Bevy is to go on the market next year – and the team that runs the pub said that it can’t afford to buy the building itself.
On its website, the Bevy said: “The building needs thousands of pounds worth of repairs, which we simply don’t have.
“Our landlords, East Brighton Trust (EBT), intend to sell the building in 2026, and we do not have the funds to buy it ourselves.
“However, EBT have confirmed nothing will change for at least six months, giving us and them time to find new owners who can keep the building delivering for the community.”
The Bevy website also said: “The Bevy has always been more than a pub and with your support it still can be.
“It’s always been a struggle to make the financial side of the Bevy work, especially going into January and February.
“The pub building itself will also be put up for sale later in the summer.
“So as well as working with our current landlords to try and find a new, community-minded owner, we are going back to basics, concentrating on what makes us more than just a pub.”
Every month the Bevy hosts and / or organises an array of community events including
- Family Thursdays
- Seniors lunch club
- Music and Memories café
- Book club
- Disability disco
- Brains at the Bevy
The events support more than 250 people a month – and more when there are one-off events such as the recent children’s Halloween party when over 80 children came along.
But the financial reality keeps biting and the Bevy said: “Unfortunately, the pub side just isn’t working financially – apart from when our pool, darts and toads teams are at home.
“With ever-rising energy costs, limited grant opportunities, debts to pay off and repairs really biting, like so many pubs across the country, we just can’t make ends meet.
“Winter is even more brutal: fewer customers, higher bills. This means drastically cutting opening hours from January onwards.
“A huge thank you from staff, volunteers, regulars, the committee and our landlords – so many people have put so much into the Bevy.
“Over the years there has been so much joy, for which we are incredibly grateful and proud. We want to hold on to that.
“What’s happening now? We still have a programme of events up to Christmas – from Christmas dinners to the advent trail to New Year’s Eve parties – please do pop in and support us. Visit our website for full details.
“How you can help: Would you like to buy a community pub? There is so much potential for us to partner with organisations.
“Does your company or charity need space? We can still be hired for private functions and community events – whether we’re open or not – for very reasonable fees.
“We want to make our community events even busier and host even more so we can hopefully begin opening up again as spring arrives.
“We’ll be holding a series of events to hear your ideas but we need you to be part of these plans, not just telling us what we should do.
“With a skeleton staff team, we will be relying even more on volunteers. Maybe you have something you’d like to put on or help with?
“Supporting hundreds of people every month is worth fighting for.
“Against all the odds we re-opened the Bevy 11 years ago – it was a Christmas miracle. Can we save it again?”
People are invited to have their say on Sunday 14 December from 1pm to 3pm at an open public meeting – all welcome.
In late January the Bevy will hold its annual general meeting (AGM) for shareholders only.
The new opening hours for January to March are as follows
Monday to Wednesday
Open only for home darts, pool or toad games (7pm to 11pm)
The Dementia Café will be hosted as a private event.
Thursday
Open for Family Thursday 3pm to 7pm and from 7pm to 11pm only for home darts, pool or toads games every other week.
Friday
12 noon to 11pm as usual.
Saturday and Sunday – closed.
Another HMO on the way?
Community pubs, pubs and any other form of social drinking establishments are all becoming part of history. Cheap booze in supermarkets, social media, and all other methods to stop us actually socialising are to blame for this nonsense and it will continue to do so. Very sad, but it’s the way things are going!
Totally agree, sound like a use it or lose it lost cause.
It is closing at the only times it can be used, due to working people. I mean closing at the weekends! The main time pubs get used due to all us that work full-time! That means less money going in straight away!! Why has it suddenly become more an more empty in there?? Who is it run by? Does this committee ever drink there? I heard they don’t even live in the community!!
Of the six people on the committee, four live in Moulsecoomb & one works there. Two of those run darts teams and another volunteers each week at Family Thursday. Happy for you to get involved
Get Fat Boy Slim on Board-he’s selling the Cafe at Laggon, and is a very Charitable Guy-I’m sure he will help out in some way that will hopefully help or he enough.
I was sympathetic until I heard on the radio they’d turned the Bevy into an unlicenced, and therefore uninsured and unregulated by the CQC, medical facility. Not the role of a pub.