A VILLAGE in Wiltshire is fighting to save its historic pub from being turned into a home, with residents launching an ambitious £750,000 campaign to bring it back to life.

Campaigners in Donhead St Andrew are working to rescue The Forester, which closed a year ago and is now at the centre of a planning battle.

Owners have applied to convert the building into a residence, a move residents say would leave the village without a vital community hub.

The campaign, led by resident Miranda de Bellaigue, has already gained national attention after featuring in The Telegraph.

She said: “This would leave our village with no ad hoc community meeting place and rob us and future generations of an essential part of our shared history and heritage.”

The Forester has served the community for more than 400 years.

It is thought to have been built using stone from Old Wardour Castle after it was destroyed during the English Civil War and later became a meeting place for the Ancient Order of Foresters – a 19th-century society supporting working people.

Today, campaigners say its role is just as important.

Ms de Bellaigue added: “Today pubs still play a vital role in the community and a central space for socialising, exchanging ideas and stories and establishing a sense of belonging.

“This is especially important in rural areas such as ours, where much of our population is elderly and dispersed across miles of country lanes.

“With no public transport, loneliness and isolation can become a serious problem, with a knock-on impact on health outcomes.”

In response, residents have formed a Community Benefit Society and successfully secured Asset of Community Value status for the pub – giving them a chance to bid for it.

Their vision is to reopen The Forester as a community-run pub offering much more than food and drink, including clubs, events and a space for social gatherings.

Ms de Bellaigue said: “We are working now to raise £750,000 to buy the pub, renovate the interior and get it open again for us and future generations.”

A decision from Wiltshire Council on the change-of-use application has been delayed three times, most recently until March 31.