THE WHITE Hart Community Inn project at St Dogmaels has smashed through the £150,000 barrier in its bid to reopen the village pub as a community-run asset.

Time was called for the final time at the watering hall on May 5 but locals have rallied round and set about raising the £270,000 needed to buy the freehold and run it as a community asset.

And the campaign received a huge boost this weekend, when a fun day held in the Abbey grounds saw the fund-raising total almost double, from £80,000 to £150,000.

Cash rolled in through the share offer and the peer-to-peer lending scheme, as well as money raised on the day to help with administering the scheme.

Each share costs £200, and people may purchase between one and 100 shares.

Committee chairman Jo Pitt said: “The response on the day was amazing, especially given the weather and how wet it was.

“It was pretty much non-stop from 3pm-8pm and to almost double the previous amount of money we had raised in the previous three months is just awesome.

“I just want to say a big thank you to those who helped on the day and all those who have invested in the project.

“The important thing now is that we carry on and by raising so much money, it gives us the opportunity to have access to other funding outlets.”