Banton pub receives £740k lottery fund for renovation

The Swan Inn pub in Banton has been awarded a £740,000 cash sum from the National Lottery to turn it into a community hub.

The pub is among 24 groups who will share the £5.7m pot of lottery funding, and has been granted by the Big Lottery Fund to ‘bring local people together and develop happier, stronger relationships with each other’.

Catherine Moneypenny, secretary of People United for Banton, said: “Almost two years ago the people of Banton feared losing our only pub, one of our last amenities. Now we are buying it. Thanks to the Big Lottery Fund we are set to transform it into the community hub we all want and need.

“In its new incarnation the Swan Inn will house a gorgeous cafe, restaurant, and shop as well as a traditional pub. The whole village has come together to make this happen, and our confidence in our community and our future has skyrocketed.”