CONGRATULATIONS to the residents of Hailey in their fundraising to buy the Lamb & Flag pub in their village (Oxford Mail, February 6).

As a home-owner in the Cotswolds and a member of the co-operative which owns the shop in the Gloucestershire village of Blockley, I can highly recommend this route for you.

A thriving committee, robust business plan and volunteer help, with a professional manager, should be a good starting point for the project.

Ultimately, it is vital that all those in the village must remember the motto ‘Use it or lose it’!

SIMON RANDALL Bell Bank Blockley Moreton-in-Marsh