COMMUNITY ownership has been in the spotlight in a small town in the Scottish Borders, with residents having successfully purchased and restored another local service.
The people of Morebattle, outside Kelso, bought and refurbed their local shop in 2019. Now, the residents have purchased the town’s Templehall Hotel and taken it back into community ownership, officially opening for business earlier this month.
Roddy Murray, chair of the hotel’s trust, spoke with The National about the importance of community ownership, saying: “In a small community, for some businesses the only option is community ownership.
“For Morebattle, had we not taken on the projects, we probably would have lost both our shop and the hotel. Being in a rural area where the number of people is relatively low, the basis and importance of each business is disproportionately high in terms of providing a place for people to go, to socialise, to get support from.”
Morebattle residents decided to buy the combined hotel and pub and refurb it after the previous owner, who intended to move to the area but ended up running the establishment remotely, put Templehall on the market. It stayed there, closed and ready for a new buyer, until residents decided to step in.
“It had been on the market for over a year before a few locals started chatting, concerned that most of the interest had been from property developers and it was unlikely to continue as a pub and hotel unless we did a similar purchase to what had been done at the shop”, Murray explained.
To gauge public interest, a community meeting was held with around 70 attendees — almost a third of the town’s entire population.
From there, a steering group to direct the project was set up and volunteers were more than willing to lend a hand for everything from the administrative hurdles to the final decorative touches.
Murray told The National that these ownership projects are vital in building a sense of community and encouraging locals to support small businesses in the area: “The hotel has taken on six part time members of staff since we bought it and put a tenant in so that is creating jobs locally, whereas previously, the hotel essentially had an absentee owner.
Murray said: “The community owning it means that people will roll their sleeves up, turn up and do things for the pub and support it in terms of dining out, having a beer, whatever it may be, in a way that they wouldn't if the money or profits were going into somebody else's pocket.
“In the short time that we've owned it and opened it, there's been a sea change in levels of support across all age groups.”
The opening event saw a huge turnout, with everyone from babies and the eldest Morebattle resident in attendance.
“If money's tight, then there are fewer options available.”
Kelso and District councillor Euan Robson praised the ownership efforts, saying: “The community shop is a tremendous success and the team that runs it deserve huge congratulations. It provides a service for walkers on the route as well as serving the village and local community and of course other visitors.
“The hotel is now in community ownership and its tenants will run the hotel which will be another asset for local people and the tourist industry.
"It shows just what can be done by perseverance and dedication.”
