The Wigtown Ploughman is Scotland’s newest community-owned pub. It’s led by a Management Committee of ten volunteers who are part of the Wigtown Community Inn Community Benefit Society. We have been working this past year to secure funding for the building, which has been empty for three years and was at risk of being lost as a community asset. We were fortunate enough that SOSE (South of Scotland Enterprise) approved our funding request to enable the purchase of the building for £330,000, and we finally got the keys on Valentines Day, 2025.
We’ve since had an army of volunteers working hard behind the scenes, and amazing local businesses donating pieces of equipment, providing brilliant trade services, and working together all to get the pub up and running and open to the public. We also have nearly 450 Members of the society who have been a massive source of support, feedback, and ideas. They have also invested in the project and raised £31,234 when our Community Share Offering closed earlier in March. That has enabled the project to progress as rapidly as it has. We’ll also be a “Real Living Wage” employer and have just had the first round of interviews for bar staff and are hoping to announce the first employees very soon.
Our opening night is planned for 6pm on Friday 28th March, and we are honoured and delighted to have a very special guest joining us. Wigtown local hero David McAdam MBE, warmly known as Scad to everyone in the community, will be joining us to pour the first ceremonial pint. Scad worked in the pub in the 1970s when it was called The Commercial Inn, and is thrilled to be back behind the bar once again! The Wigtown Ploughman will thereafter be open from Thursday through to Sunday, 3pm – 11pm, and we will look to expand our opening hours as the year progresses.
This project is more than just a pub, however. The same building will also be used as a community space from Monday-Friday, 11am – 3pm, affectionately called The Lounge. We’re hoping to open The Lounge from the 14th April if we have enough volunteers to help be stewards of that space. It will be a welcoming, free-to-access place where people can come to stay warm, connect with others, enjoy a hot drink, play boardgames, read the newspaper, or just relax and feel at home away from home. There is free WiFi for those who would also like to stay digitally connected. It will be run by a group of exceptional volunteers who will do their best to make visitors feel welcome. Outside the regular Lounge opening hours (and when the bar is closed or quiet), the space can also be booked by members of the community or social groups. Beyond physical warmth, the warm space will also provide a sense of belonging, safety, and community.
Kirsten Logue, Community Development Specialist at SOSE said:
“SOSE is delighted to support the acquisition of The Wigtown Ploughman.
The high level of engagement from local volunteers, businesses, members, and community shareholders is a fantastic demonstration of the power of community-led enterprise.
SOSE continues to support the Community Benefit Society with support and guidance and looks forward to working with them as they open the Community Space and the lettable rooms.”
We hope to have the accommodation up and running in the coming months, creating further employment opportunities, and our aim is then to design a food offering that entices locals and tourists alike. Our goal is ultimately to foster an environment of excellence and be able to offer hospitality and catering apprenticeships through partnerships with Dumfries and Galloway College.
This community-led project is just getting started, and we plan to be here in the heart of Wigtown for generations to come.