IT was a day no one in Hillesley would ever forget when the future King Charles III visited their local pub and had a go at pulling pints.
In 2018 the then Prince of Wales visited the The Fleece Inn near Wotton-under-Edge to see how it had become a community hub.
He was greeted by pupils from Hillesley Primary School who brought a broad smile to the prince's face with their exquisite singing.
After greeting the crowds who had braved the sub-zero temperatures to welcome the future king, the prince spent an hour in the pub talking to regulars and learning more about the flourishing pub.
He then also had a go at pulling a pint behind the bar.
Regulars at the event paid tribute to landlord and landlady Rod Undy and Karen McGeoch who became tenant licensees in late 2016, and under their watchful eye the business was named CAMRA Pub of the Year 2018 for the South West region.
In 2011, The Fleece Inn closed for trading after the regional chain that owned the pub failed leaving the building under threat of redevelopment.
Dating from the 17th century, it’s the last remaining pub in the parish of Hillesley and Tresham, and was saved by the action of villagers passionate to save the historic pub.
Five families came together to buy the business and 120 members of the community contributed to the funding - becoming shareholders in Hillesley Pub Company Ltd.
Thanks to overwhelming support from the village the purchase was completed in June 2012, and the pub was refurbished and redecorated in order to reopen its doors again as a free house, all within five weeks.
A specialist advisor from the Pub is The Hub gave the village general advice on how they could take over the business.
The organisation was initiated by The Prince of Wales in 2001, assisted by Business in the Community, of which HRH is Royal Founding Patron.
The not-for-profit organisation, of mainly volunteers, encourages communities, licensees, pub owners, breweries and the private sector to work together to match community priority needs with additional services which can be provided by the local pub.
The Fleece Inn trades as a traditional local with a loyal customer base from the village and the immediate surrounding area, but also attracts ramblers walking The Cotswold Way.
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