Inaugural Members’ Meeting

All Members of the Wigtown Community Inn CBS are cordially invited to attend our very first meeting. Details of the meeting are:

When: 2 December 2024, 8pm
Where: County Buildings – Map link

Present: Craig Hamnett, Pennie Cumming, Pete Dobson, George Moore, Dave Cannon, Gillian Wray, Julie Willan, Nadine McGaw, Tracey Warman, Ada Montgomery + 85ish Members

Agenda and Minutes

1. Welcome and Apologies

The meeting was opened by Craig Hamnett who welcomed the members and thanked them for attending. Catherine Brown and Richard Draper were unable to attend due to geographical difficulties. No other apologies were received.

2. Introduction to the Management Committee

The committee gave a short introduction of themselves to the members. Approx 95 attendees including the committee.

3. How we secured money for the building

Craig gave an update of how we have reached the point we are now at following the closure of what was the Plough in March 2022. The Wigtown and Bladnoch Community Initiative (W&BCI) committed to a community purchase. Ada Montgomery put forward a “Dragons Den” event to enable the community to decide what they would want to achieve if the building was purchased. It was agreed by W&BCI that a dedicated organisation would be required to achieve the purchase and running of the building, which resulted in the formation of the Community Benefit Society (CBS). Funding applications commenced with Richard Draper doing much of the donkey work. Richard has resigned from the management committee but remains as a consultant. Funding was secured from Scottish Land Fund (SLF) which allowed building surveys to be conducted. Funding applications were held up from some sources due to the general election. Negotiations were ongoing with the current owner regarding the asking price of the building which was £365k. The application to SLF was declined but a successful application was made to South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) which resulted in a £337.5k grant for the purchase of the building. It is anticipated that the sale of the building will be completed in January 2025.

4. What do the next phases look like for re-opening

Taking into account the feedback received from the community about what was wanted for the building, it has been decided that a phased opening would be the best approach. The first phase will be the forming of a warm space in the left hand side of the building ( formerly the restaurant.) This would provide a 7 day access for people to use the facility as a warm space with teas, coffee and wifi availability and could be opened within 2 weeks of the handing over the keys. It is hoped that a community fridge and pantry would be set up in this space. Cost of insurance, electricity and heating are anticipated at £1k per month. The second phase would be the opening of the bar which is anticipated would take 2-3 months due to licensing application and suppliers lead time.

The third phase would be to bring into use the 4 high quality ensuite rooms that have never been used which could quickly be brought into use for guest accommodation. The final phase would be the opening of the kitchen which requires a full refurbishment, the cost of which is currently being worked on to source the funding

5. The funding landscape and a Community Share Offering

The cost of the first 3 phases are anticipated as £45k of which £5k would allow the warm space to operate and £40k for the rooms to be ready for occupation and the bar to be operational. The rooms and the bar would then generate income. The community inn must be viable and sustainable. The cost of refurbishing the kitchen is anticipated to be £25k. The Community Share Offering is where the funds will be generated, along with applications for external funding so the cost of the business will be shared across the Share Offering and the funding sourced. Documents for the Share Offer are being drawn up at the time of this meeting. 51% of the shareholding must come from the local region, DG8 postcodes. Staffing for the would need to be kept lean, with a focus on providing a training base for job creation. The key to the success will be the appointment of a high quality manager. This person is the highest risk in terms of getting it right – they will be the person giving the first impression and must have hospitality experience and be multi talented to cover all aspects of the role including service, HR, ordering and general management. The minimum salary paid for all other staff must meet the agreed real living wage. There is a 3 bedroomed apartment which may be used as an incentive to attract key staff members to take up a position, or this could be let as an income generator. Craig reiterated at all funding and funds raised by whichever means would be utilised fully for the ongoing operation of the business, with full transparency at all times. Craig welcomes involvement of the members with suggestions, feedback and open-ness at all times.

6. Vote on naming the building

The 5 names on the voting slip were amended to include two further suggestions from attending members. The addition of The Ploughshare and The Old Book Inn were added to the manual sheets provided at the meeting, and the online voting will be amended to include these additions. Online voting and additional paper votes will be collated at the close of voting on 4th December and the winning name announced shortly after that time. Result at the bottom of this page.

7. Date and time of next Members’ meeting

Date of next meeting is to be January 20th 2025 8pm with venue to be confirmed.

8. Member questions, ideas, and AOB

Question 1 – The opening of the kitchen is low on the list of priorities even though providing somewhere additional to the existing evening dining is one of the top priorities.
Answer 1 – This is the area that is most difficult to get right so takes more consideration and time, as well as being the most expensive to refurbish. By getting the first phases set up and running as a going concern would allow income generation and early usage of the building.

Question 2 – Does being a shareholder give shared ownership of the asset?
Answer 2 – The building has a 5 year asset lock. The share money will be put back into the business, so shareholdings will not own the building but all revenue will be put back into the business to benefit the shareholders. The Share Offering document will give a full explanation.

Question 3 – Which organisation actually owns the building?
Answer 3 – Originally the building was to have been purchased by W&BCI and leased to CBS, but due to the increased membership of the CBS, it enabled CBS to approach SOSE for the grant, making CBS the owners. The commercial side of the business ( i.e. restaurant and accommodation ) can be leased from the CBS, but the building will always be owned by CBS.

Question 4 – Who will be appointed to run the kitchen and could it be run on a smaller scale pending completion of the refurb?
Answer 4 – The appointment of staff is key to the success of the running and full diligence will ensure that the appointments meet all the criteria. Possibility of a phased opening of part of the kitchen could be considered for light snacks etc but this would be subject to what disruption this might cause later down the line and the response of users if there had to be a pause.

Question 5 – Will the Facebook name of the Wigtown Community Inn CBS be changed following the voting of the name?
Answer 5 – No, as this group is private for CBS members only. A separate public page will be opened in the name of the winning vote.

Meeting was closed at 9pm with thanks to all for attending.

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Membership Vote

What would you like to rename the building, currently called “The Plough Inn”?

1. The Wigtown Ploughman – 45%
2. The County – 24.5%
3. The Machars Inn – 10.5%
4. The Old Book Inn – 10.5%
5. The Ploughshare – 6.5%
6. The Blether Inn – 3%

62.29% of the Membership cast a valid vote. The winning name was announced on Saturday 7th December 2024.