TIME is running out to “Save the Bromley Cross Inn”.

The deadline for its £210,000 share offer is this weekend, but campaigners are nearly there.

To date, after six weeks of selling shares, the “Save the Bromley Cross Campaign” has raised around £150,000.

But under the terms of its prospectus, the campaigners must drum up the remaining £60,000 by Saturday night.

To help raise the cash, the pub has been open certain weekends and will be again this Friday and Saturday night, plus Sunday lunchtime.

“We have been open selling drinks and a bit of food. It’s been so busy, the way we want a village pub to be,” said campaign secretary Jim Craddock.

Such support from across the community wasn’t just the 115 people who have bought shares, mostly local or with some other connection to Great Bromley village or the pub, but also donations to improve pub facilities.

Broken windows have been repaired, the cellar has a new chiller and donations also include new tables and chairs and a log burner.

“It’s fantastic support. It’s not all about buying shares. Such support definitely gives us more confidence the pub will be a success when it re-opens as a community-owned pub,” he said.

The pub at the corner of Colchester Road and Frating Road had been declared an asset of community value. Developer East Anglia businessman John Howard, who also lives in the village, near Manningtree, said the campaigners could buy it for £190,000.

They sought £210,000, to buy the pub and make some improvements.

A co-operative company was formed, the Great Bromley Cross Pub Community Benefit Society (CBS), which has been selling shares of between £250 and £20,000 in this CBS, to raise funds to buy the pub.

This is the same approach as taken by previous campaigns to save pubs including the Case is Altered at Bentley and The Maybush in Great Oakley, with them becoming community-owned pubs.

Mr Craddock added: “Next time we open, hopefully on 1st December, the Cross Inn will be a community-owned and community-run pub. Fingers crossed.”