Prince William donates £1,000 to save rural pub after locals’ passionate plea - and will pull first pint

Prince William donates £1,000 to save rural pub after locals’ passionate plea - and will pull first pint The Prince of Wales, who has long advocated to save struggling local pubs, has donated to save a Somerset boozer, promising to pull the first pint if the pub is saved Prince William has donated £1,000 to a local group vying to save their local pub. The Prince of Wales has given the cash to the Semington Community Benefit Society which is trying to resurrect the Somerset Arms, near Melksham in Wiltshire. The 200-year-old pub has been closed since 2023 and is currently on the market for £395,000. William wrote a letter to the group alongside his donation, in which he describes rural pubs as a "lifeline" to communities. Andy Cobley, vice chair of the Semington Community Benefit Society, says William’s support has been a huge boost and said local people were ‘amazed’. He added: "We are over the moon that Prince William has made this donation and also at his recognition of how important pubs are within the community. "We are incredibly excited and stunned. It is brilliant His Royal Highness can recognise what is going on in these small villages and help us out. It's fantastic." William’s donation answered a call from the Semington Community Benefit Society, who invited the future king to pull the first pint at the Somerset Arms if it is saved. The invite came after they saw how the royal had called for pubs to be protected and supported during a recent visit to London. Ian Williamson, chair of the Semington Community Benefit Society, said at the time: "This is exactly what William was talking about. We're writing to thank him for supporting pubs like ours, and we'd love to welcome him when we get it reopened." In his reply to the Semington Community Benefit Society, William wrote in a letter: "I am very keen to support the role that pubs play, not only as businesses, but as community hubs that contribute so much to the fabric of our nation. I look forward to coming down to pull a pint and celebrate your success." William has long advocated for struggling local pubs to be saved, as he recently said while on an engagement at The Prince of Peckham pub in South London that the nation's pubs are “so important” and “a place for the community to come together”, and are in need of our protection. Speaking at the pub in early June, William pledged: “I love pubs. I want to do as much as I can to support pubs because I love the community. We need to protect our pubs.” The 43-year-old said that Britain’s public houses act as “the glue and fabric” in a community, adding: “It’s the people – the team – around a pub that make it.” Speaking about the owner of the recently renovated pub, he added: “It’s a family business which is good, because that makes the pub.” During the visit, he pulled a pint of Red Stripe with the pub’s owner Clem Ogbonnaya, describing his own efforts as “really good” and receiving a round of applause. He joked Mr Ogbonnaya was “just as bad as me” and the pair laughed and bumped shoulders after their efforts.