April 2025
- Events team meeting
- Social evening at The Chefs of India
- Produce 'future' plans for forthcoming events
- More contact with the freeholder
March 2025
- Events team meeting
- Drag Cabaret night on 22nd at St Margaret's Millennium Centre, Rainham
- Meeting with Chefs of India to discuss Social evening for April.
February 2025
- 2 telephone conversations with freeholder
- Steering Group meeting regarding the opening of a bank account
- Events team meetings
- Jim Gilbourne meeting with Planning Officer and Legal department for Medway
January 2025
- 7th Freeholder declined offer
- 12th Steering Group meeting to discuss route forward
- 20th Steering Group representatives to visit Parliament to meet with MP Alex Norris and Medway MP Naushabah Khan
- 25th Event - Quiz Night in Hempstead Scout Hall
December 2024
- 2nd Medway MP, Naushabah Khan raised the issue of the Flying Saucer in the Houses of Parliament (view on Instagram link)
- 15th Steering Group meeting to discuss offer
- 16th Formal offer sent to freeholder, giving him until 6th January to respond, as per his 'timetable' request
- Events team established to create future events for 2025
November 2024
- Meetings held with with potential Investors
- Email finally received from Freeholder giving access to Valuer
- 21st : Valuer carried out valuation of The Flying Saucer, awaiting report (early December) ;some Steering Group members met with Valuer
- 22nd : Beverly and Jim meeting with Medway MP Naushabah Khan re:
a) where government is with Community ownership fund (match funding)
b) where government is per Lisa Nandy's commitment to strengthening the community rights legislation, re ‘Right to Buy’.
c) Future of tax relief for community enterprises. i.e. tax relief available to investors, investments that qualify for tax relief etc.
She is sourcing answers and will get back to us. - 23rd : Fundraising event, Christmas Craft Fair
- 24th: Steering Group meeting.
October 2024
- Steering Group meeting on the 6th to discuss next action plan
- Joined the Plunkett Foundation (paid membership)
- Organised 2 meetings (due to high numbers) to be held on the 12th at Hempstead Library to provide everyone with the latest information:
the 5 year business plan
interest on shares and loan option
planned events for fund raising to
donations to help pay costs
the Big Share Issue launch event on 1st February 2025
- Applied for and received, further 14 hours of free legal advice from Plunkett
- Steering Group meeting held on 18th
- Emailed freeholder, requesting access to the Flying Saucer for the valuer
- Preloved event held on 27th
- Steering Group meeting on 27th
TO COME
- Complete the Plunkett Action Plan
- Model Rules Application to FCA
September 2024
- Chose people from the questionnaires and details submitted in the church hall meeting to join a Steering Group
- Had the first Steering Group meeting on the 1st
- ACV granted on the 2nd
- Second Steering Group meeting (over Zoom) on the 5th
- Application completed with the Plunkett Foundation for further free advice on legal matters and share distribution
- Emailed the Freeholder on the 6th, requesting entry for a valuation
- Had leaflets printed which were hand delivered to every house in Hempstead (and beyond) by a group of wonderful volunteers. The leaflets explained the progress and details to move forward as well as a link to join the dedicated Facebook group.
- A new website (this one) was created on the 12th, with all the information contained in the leaflet to get started
- An update meeting for public attendance was held in Hempstead Library on the 14th, which was very well attended
- Third Steering Group meeting held on the 15th
- The Freeholder emailed to confirm that he would consider selling on the 18th
- The fourth Steering Group meeting (over Zoom) was held on the 20th to discuss how to let people know that a sale was possible
- Zoom meeting with Phil Harriss (from Plunkett) and Steering Group Action Planning on the 29th
- Discussion with Commercial Valuers (Dabro & Associates) regarding getting a valuation, with or without access to the building
August 2024
- Collated results of feasibility questionnaire - over 450 received
- Held the first community meeting in the local church on Friday the 9th and Saturday 10th - both meetings were well attended
- Share price was discussed and decided upon £250 per share, to be pledged at this stage
- Emailed 320 people from the questionnaires to gauge whether we would be likely to raise enough funds to purchase the freehold, should the freeholder be willing to sell.
JUNE 2024 - FLYING SAUCER CLOSES
July 2024
- Beverly Weir began communications
- Spoke to the Freeholder regarding his plans for the sale of the pub
- 8th July - Applied for Asset of Community Value (ACV) from Medway Council
- Jim Gilbourne came on board
- Started to post messages on community Facebook page to gauge support for a Community Buy Out
- Sourced help and advice for buy outs: found the Plunkett Foundation
- Spoke to Lucia (Plunkett) and received lots of information and started step by step advice
- Lots of conversations with the Freeholder
- Organised setup (with volunteers) outside the Co-op for the weekend. There were feasibility questionnaires printed, asking for the community to complete them. Some were also left in the Post Office and Pharmacy, with a closing date for responses of 5th August