Pailton Parish Council is awarded a £2,040,170 grant by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to restore and transform The White Lion, Pailton

Today, Pailton Parish Council has received a £2,040,170 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for an exciting heritage project, Save the White Lion, Pailton. Made possible by money raised by National Lottery players, the project focuses on restoring and renewing the much loved, grade II listed 18th Century coaching inn to become a community hub at the heart of the village.

Supported through The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the new hub will provide the community with a pub, restaurant, café, shop, post office, accommodation, enterprise units, co-working space and landscaped gardens to the front and rear.

The last village shop closed in 2008 and no village resident has been able to visit or be involved with the White Lion due to its closure in 2014 . Pailton is a diverse village with people from different backgrounds and facing different challenges. The Community Hub will be a new and unique opportunity for this wide range of people to gather together, enjoy each other's company and experience each other's perspectives.

The project will benefit the whole community from offering family fun activities, a co- working space, work experience and volunteering opportunities, to helping those suffering from rural isolation. It is part of our mission to make sure the rich heritage of the building that is being discovered is told to future generations.

It's likely that the White Lion began life in the late 16th century or early 17th century as a small 2 bay timber framed farmhouse. During the 18th century it became a coaching inn to service the turnpike road and the first tenant/landlord was recorded in 1791. By the mid-19th century there were six pubs in Pailton of which the White Lion is the last standing. The first Post Office in Pailton was at the White Lion in 1850 and so there's a neat circle that brings it back to where it started. The Odd Fellows Society held meetings on the top floor of the White Lion, their purpose was to raise money for the relief of the poor of the village so again it is entirely fitting that the building should be used for the benefit of the community.

Commenting on the award, Tina Simpson, Parish Councillor and Project Lead said: "We are delighted to have received this support thanks to National Lottery players and are confident the project will put the heart back into Pailton, bringing much needed facilities and telling the heritage story to the wider community."

Notes to editors
About Save the White Lion, Pailton

Pailton Parish Council purchased the White Lion in 2019 as an asset of community value with a mandate from the community. A working group progressed the project through 4 years of funding rounds and will run the community hub on behalf of the Parish Council as a Community Interest Company (CIC). It is probably the single biggest project by a parish council in Rugby borough and the most important thing that has happened in Pailton for a generation.

About The National Lottery Heritage Fund

As the largest dedicated funder of the UK's heritage, The National Lottery Heritage Fund's vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033.

Over the next ten years, the Heritage Fund aims to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to bring about benefits for people, places and the natural environment.

The Heritage Fund helps protect, transform and share the things from the past that people care about, from popular museums and historic places, our natural environment and fragile species, to the languages and cultural traditions that celebrate who we are.

The Heritage Fund is passionate about heritage and committed to driving innovation and collaboration to make a positive difference to people's lives today, while leaving a lasting legacy for future generations to enjoy.

Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLotteryHeritageFundwww.heritagefund.org.uk.

Further information

For further information, images and interviews please contact Tina Simpson, Project Lead on 07703963775, tinapailtonpc@gmail.com.