"Let's save The Bugle!" - Fundraiser organised for Titchfield pub after "awful lot of debts" discovered
A fundraising day has been organised for a pub after an “awful lot of debt” was discovered when one of its landlords left.
The Bugle Hotel in Titchfield is holding the fundraising day on Saturday, August 23, as it aims to stave off closure. The extent of the debt became clear in the past few weeks with the current landlord deciding to do all they can to stay open
Chloe Dale has worked at the pub for three years, and when learning of the perilous situation, she decided to arrange a fundraiser to help avoid its closure. Before speaking to The News she appealed for help on the pub’s social media page.
The post said: “It is slowly coming to light, unbeknownst to Naomi (the current landlord), that the business is in an awful lot of debt, debt which cannot be cleared by just a few busy nights at the bar. The Bugle is facing closure if these debts cannot be cleared. As horrible as it is to have to admit this publicly, we need to ask for help.”
The event on August 23 will have a number of activities such as a raffle, bake sale, and will feature live music. A separate open to all darts tournament has also been arranged on Sunday, August 24. Chloe is hoping the event will bring the community together to help save the pub - with local artists already volunteering to give up their time.
Chloe said: “It will be a family fun day with lots of activities and live music. We have been really lucky we have had people offer to play for free so we have a couple of local artists who will be doing some sets for us throughout the day.”
While The Bugle Hotel face these challenges, Chloe is keen to emphasise the importance of local pubs to the community.
She said: “We are not the only pub that are in this position and it is so important for people to use their local pubs, and their local businesses, before they are all gone. Pubs are so important for the community, and we are so so fortunate to have five brilliant ones so close to each other.
“I’m sure each and every pub in this village can understand how upsetting this is for us all. This is our jobs on the line.”
As well as organising the ‘Save the Bugle’ fundraising day, a GoFundMe page has also been set up with the target of raising £10,000. The details can be found on https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-the-bugle