Hopes have been raised that the White Lion pub in Broadwindsor could reopen by Easter after the community raised £36,000 to save it from closure.

As reported, a group of villagers took on the Goliath challenge of raising £30,000 in just two weeks to save the village's last remaining pub - and say they are "delighted" to have smashed that target.

In an update, the Save The White Lion group said that with further donations coming in via cash, cheque and BACS, they now have the money needed and hope to to sign a tenancy agreement with owners Palmers Brewery "within the next week or so."

Refurbishment of the pub interior will take several weeks, with extensive work in the bar and lounge being led by a team of volunteers. New equipment is being sourced for the kitchen.

Dave Leader, chairman of the Save The White Lion Steering Group, said: "We were delighted to have hit our £30,000 Crowdfunder target so quickly. It is amazing how the community has bought into the idea of creating a community pub for everyone. Now we have got to make this happen."

Following the departure of the pub's landlord, Palmers Brewery decided against reopening it as it had struggled to make a profit. Now the pub has been saved, the community group will have to pay brewery a monthly rent based on a percentage of their turnover once the business has reopened.

Meanwhile, an expert from a major UK licensing law firm has spoken of the challenges of communities running pubs.

James Anderson, a partner at a national licensing solicitors firm Poppleston Allen, said: “I am afraid that over the last 20 years there has been a natural wastage as society has changed. Industry, smoking, the rise of the off-trade have all affected many wet-led community pubs, although some have thrived.

“Private ownership and the landlord/tenant model has proved to be successful in running good local and community pubs in particular and many of the pub owning companies are embracing greater flexibility, as they realise that attracting talented entrepreneurs is essential to success.”

The total of pubs either wholly owned, supported, or run by local people currently stands at 195 nationwide, according to statistics from CAMRA.

“There have been success stories in relation to community ownership of certain local pubs," Mr Anderson added.

He recommends communities taking legal advice on a range of issues.