Amid a wave of pub closures across the country, one example shows what can happen when a community comes together to save their cherished local
Locals who saved their pub with just an hour to spare have called on the government to offer new help to others in the same plight.
The Antwerp Arms in north London risked becoming yet another pub converted into flats and lost forever. But a group of determined customers, along with the support of the community, managed to raise the money needed in the nick of time before the offer of separate funding expired.
That was 11 years ago, since when the pub – otherwise known as the “Annie’ – has remained at the heart of the area, and a firm favourite for Tottenham fans as it is a stone’s throw from Spurs’ stadium.
Over that time a dedicated band of volunteers have also provided thousands of free meals, not just to the hard-up and elderly but people of all ages suffering isolation.
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Yet scores of other communities have not been as lucky since a government funding scheme was put on hold before the general election, and then scrapped.
Among the Mirror’s Your Pub Needs You campaign demands is a plea to launch a replacement scheme, so other boozers such as the Annie can survive and thrive. It comes as figures last month showed another 188 pubs across Britain were lost in the final three months of 2025.
The vast majority – 123 – were classed as community pubs, including many that still rely on drinks sales to survive. More than 2,000 pubs have closed since the start of 2020.
The Antwerp – which dates back to the 1850s when it was known as the Hope and Anchor – would have become just another statistic had it not been for a band for locals who decided otherwise. The wider borough of Haringey has lost about a fifth of its pubs since 2000.
Mav Highsted, a volunteer and former chair of The Antwerp Arms Association, said: “This pub has been serving the community for very many years so there are a lot of memories. There was a really strong want and need.”
Rather than just bricks and mortar, the pub – as with so many – is a place of memories for generations. Retired teacher Mav says it has had visitors from as far away as Australia, including people who emigrated from the area and spoke fondly of nights at the ‘Annie’.
Its future was thrown into doubt in early 2013 when its pub company owner put it up for sale and, late that year, it was bought by a property developer. Around the same time, locals managed to get it classed as an “asset of community value”, giving a six month window if they wanted to buy it.
Along with £275,000 in grants, they managed to raise enough in pledges get a long way towards the £413,000 total needed. But with about a week to go, they were still around £60,000 short. It prompted a last push, including an event where people bought shares.
Pledges come from across the UK, and the world, including Spurs fans. Mav, 69, recalls: “We had a cut off-off time, and otherwise it would have expired. It was about an hour to go, I remember this vividly, and we had about £20,000 we had to get and this person, who was local, he said just ‘here you are’”.
One way pubs can help themselves is playing to their strengths, including a historic and local connection. Mav: “The glue that held it together is that we’re a Spurs pub.”
However, the redevelopment of Spurs’ White Hart Land stadium caused its own problems, when the club temporarily relocated to Wembley stadium. And while the crowds are back, the new start-of-the-art ground now includes a range of bars that are competiton.
The Antwerp is a community benefit society, a form of co-operative. One requirement is showing what it gives back to the community. One way it has done that in spades is through a free weekly meal – its Community Lunch Programme – using mostly donated food. A local butcher kindly gives them meat every week.
Mav explains: “When we started it was people in need of food, people were hungry, but it’s gone far beyond that. It’s about social isolation, helping people to get out. It’s not just to eat but to meet. We’re had up to 130 people a time in the past,” Mav says.
“We’ve reduced it but it’s still about 60 or 70. We have street people, elderly people, disabled people, people, who have dementia, but also others who want to socialise. And people in their early 20s to very old.”
The pub also hosts an array of live events, including DJs, as well as a gardening club.
“People see it as a home from home,” says Mav. Nick Allaway, treasure of the association, adds: “Someone described it as an extension of their living room.” Retired accountant Nick says, despite much gloom elsewhere in the pub sector, the Annie is bucking the trend. “We’re doing ok,” he said. “Last year we made a small profit.”
Labour recently announced additional help for pubs through a 15% discount on this April’s business rates, and a freeze on the tax for two further years. The Treasury also points to a £4.3billion support package announced at the Budget. But neither will directly help those communities desperate for additional funds to buy their pub.
The Mirror has heard many examples where enterprising locals have got so far, but need match funding to get them to their target. Nick, 67, urged ministers to resurrect a central fund to help others: “There isn’t a ready stream of accessible funding. If you’re going to get your scheme off the ground, you need some help.”
He and Mav admitted that, without the additional grants, its bid to save the Annie may well have failed. “Money is short everywhere but if there should be a pot of money that people could access,” Mav adds.
