The £375,000 country pub near Peterborough which villagers might buy themselves

The Millstone Inn was closed by its owners - Leicester-based Everards in August - and has since gone up for sale with a £375,000 asking price.

The move prompted the parish council and interested groups in the community to hold a public meeting last month, forming a committee to look at what options were open to them.

Nikki Cavaciuti, who volunteered to lead the committee, said they were now actively looking at ways to “Save the Millstone”.

She said: “We are hoping that someone will see the benefits of owning the freehold and invest in an opportunity to create a thriving pub in Barnack.

“However, if this doesn’t happen, the community have come together, formed a committee, co-opting in members from the many volunteers who have come forward, to look at a number of alternatives to ‘Save the Millstone’.”

Nikki, who lives in Barnack, said one option might be attracting a private buyer and offering community involvement.

“Alternatively, we’re looking at the possibility of a small, local syndicate investing, or the plausibility of a Community Pub,” she added. “Options also include looking whether additional community facilities could be opened within the setup, such as a local shop, the previous one having closed a few years ago.

“So far, the work has focussed on funding options (including initial feedback as to the appetite for investment), financial viability of running the Millstone, understanding why the pub wasn’t used in the past as widely as it might have been, a visit to a local Community Pub to understand how that might work, and developing effective communication across the community and interested parties.”

Andy Holland, from Fleurets Cambridge office, which is marketing the premises for the brewery, said talks had been held with a number of interested parties and was hopeful of a postive outcome in the next three or four weeks.