160-year-old village pub to open for the first time in three years after community buy-out

A pub in Argyll and Bute is set to reopen its doors for the first time since 2023 after a community mission to bring the historic inn back to life.

The Oakbank Community Inn in Sandbank, near Dunoon, was taken over by the community in April after a group of local volunteers won a substantial grant from the Scottish Land Fund to buy the pub at the end of last year.

The pub closed in 2023 and is set to reopen its doors next week | Kenneth Milligan

Since then the volunteers have been busy revamping the inn, which dates back to the 1860s, ahead of its opening date on December 20.

The organisers say they hope the regeneration of the pub will “breathe new life” into the community after a wave of closures in the village since before the pandemic.

“There used to be seven places you could go to eat or drink and gradually, just before Covid and through Covid, everywhere closed down and the pub was the only thing left open,” said Sue McKillop, the 69-year-old chair of the committee which bought the inn.

“It sort of fizzled out and the owner just decided to close it,” she said.

“I got together with a few friends and we asked the community if they thought we should take it over, and we got an overwhelming response.”

Sue McKillop (left) has lived in the village for 26 years. She is pictured with Helen Marsh and Nigel Marsh at the pub entrance | Oakbank Community Inn

In the first 24 hours after the survey was launched, the group already had over 200 responses in support of the project.

But the process hasn't been without its obstacles. Despite the enthusiasm from the community, the volunteers did not receive as much in shares as they had initially forecasted.

“While more sensible people at that point might have said no thank you, and given the money back, we felt we’d got this far and we just had to keep going,” said Ms McKillop.

The team of volunteers has refurbished the bar area while keeping some of the pub’s original features.

“It’s taken it from being an older style drinking establishment to a more modern feel but it’s still the old pub,” said Ms McKillop.

The pub will also be open on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve this year.After that, the volunteers have a lively schedule of events planned for the winter months, including quiz nights, live music, open mic nights and stand up comedy.

Ms McKillop said she'd love to host a stand-up comedy competition at the pub in the spring | Oakbank Community Inn

“It will be a place that people can meet without having to join a club or sign up to something,” said Ms McKillop.

“They can just come in and spend a bit of time, and feel like they are part of the community.”

The committee is also planning to offer food and accommodation in the near future, and is also hoping to host a permanent display related to the “American Years” in the community’s history when the US Navy made Holy Loch their home from 1961 to 1991.

It is hoping to collaborate with the community garden that has also been set up in the centre of the village, with fresh produce grown in the garden to be sold in the pub.

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Despite the excitement surrounding the opening, Ms McKillop said she is under “no illusions” that there will be challenges ahead.

“Like any pub venue, we will need to keep innovating in order to survive,” she said.

“Many community-owned pubs fall by the wayside and we’re determined that that won’t be the case with the Oakbank.

“Our aim has always been to be a vibrant resource for the entire Sandbank community as well as for people and groups from further afield.

“So far, we seem to have achieved that but we will have to keep listening to the community and the 200 or so shareholders, as well as our key funders, whose investment and support has made this project a reality.”