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Grand opening celebrates community's pub takeover

David Ferguson
BBC Scotland News
MCHP A crowd of about 60 men and women wave at the camera, standing outside a white-washed Templehall Inn pub building.MCHP
A grand opening will celebrate the community takeover in Morebattle on Saturday

A village pub in the Borders is to hold a grand opening to mark the latest community buyout success in the region.

The project to purchase the more than 250-year-old Templehall Inn in Morebattle near Kelso - which struggled after the Covid pandemic - was launched in early 2024.

Having already saved the village shop, locals created the Morebattle Community Hub and Pub (MCHP) community benefit society, and secured £230,000 in grants while raising nearly £100,000 from a share issue.

That funded the buyout which will culminate in the grand reopening of the refurbished pub on Saturday.

A white pub building in the Borders with a sign for the Templehall Hotel in front of it
The building in the heart of the village dates back more than 250 years

Morebattle village - with a population of just over 300 - sits on the popular St Cuthbert's Way walking route that runs from Melrose to Holy Island.

The refurbished inn - backed by funding from the Scottish Land Fund and South of Scotland Enterprise - is already attracting overseas visitors and it is hoped more will follow.

Tenants Sharon and Alan Reid moved from the Tushielaw Inn near Selkirk last month and have already started serving food and delivering throughout the area.

Roddy Murray, who chairs MCHP, admitted he had been stunned by how an acorn of an idea had grown into a huge community effort.

MCHP People at work gardening.MCHP
Volunteers from across the area have pitched in to help ahead of the grand opening

He said: "The steering group had a vision with all the stages of funding and planning that goes into something like this, but you do always wonder at the back of your mind if it will have the level of support that you need to make it sustainable in the long-term.

"What we've seen in the last eight weeks or so since we officially purchased the building is tremendous support, with people really buying into it."

He said that was essential to its long-term success.

MCHP Eight people - five women and three men - lined up outside the pub with small orange triangular flags strewn above their heads, punch the with air with delight.MCHP
MCHP chairman Roddy Murray (far right) celebrates the year-long effort to bring the village pub back into use

"It's got to be financially sustainable," Roddy added.

"There were funds available to purchase and refurbish, but it has to stand on its own two feet, and provide an income for the tenants moving forward.

"There will still be community support there, but it can't limp through being subsidised, and we don't think there is any concern on that score.

"We're confident now that it will be well-used as a community facility."

Roddy said he had been amazed at the number of people from across the area who had "really got stuck in" to ensure they got the facility they wanted.

Many of them will join the celebrations on Saturday - from 15:00 to 23:00 - to mark what the community has achieved.