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Community secures future of historic Redhill pub with freehold purchase

The future of one of Redhill’s oldest pubs has been secured after its community owners completed the purchase of the building following a two-year campaign.

The Garibaldi Community Pub CIC officially bought the freehold of The Garibaldi on Friday 7 August 2026, ensuring that the 160-plus-year-old pub can remain in community ownership for generations to come.

The campaign began in 2024 when the CIC learnt that the building was due to be put up for auction. Following discussions with the owner, the community was offered first refusal on the freehold – leaving it with the considerable challenge of finding the money to buy it.

Two years of fundraising, grant applications and community support followed, with the campaign also attracting widespread backing from local councillors and Reigate MP Rebecca Paul, who raised The Garibaldi’s campaign in Parliament.

The purchase has now been completed, securing the building as well as the business operating within it.

The Garibaldi has an unusual ownership model. It is not owned by a brewery, pub company or individual shareholders. It is operated by a Community Interest Company, with no individual or corporation able to take profits from the business.

Instead, money generated by the pub is reinvested into the business and its community activities, allowing The Garibaldi to provide a home for local groups, host events at little or no cost and maintain an inclusive community space.

A spokesperson for The Garibaldi Community Pub CIC said:

“Buying the freehold has been the biggest challenge The Garibaldi has faced in its 160-plus-year history.

“When we heard that the building was going to auction, there was a very real possibility that everything the community had built here could ultimately be lost. We knew that if we could buy the building ourselves, we could protect the pub for generations to come.

“The phrase ‘community pub’ gets used a lot, but in our case it is quite literal. Nobody owns a share of The Garibaldi and nobody can take its profits. Everything goes back into the pub and the community it serves.

“Thousands of pints, donations, fundraising events, grant applications and an extraordinary amount of work later, the building is finally ours – which means it belongs to the community.”

The acquisition comes at a challenging time for Britain’s pubs, with rising costs and closures continuing to put pressure on the sector.

For The Garibaldi, however, completing the purchase means attention can now turn from securing the pub’s survival to developing its future.

The CIC plans to invest further in the pub and expand the support it provides to local groups and community activities, while continuing to raise funds towards the mortgage used to purchase the building.

The spokesperson added:

“We’ve spent the last two years trying to make sure The Garibaldi has a future. Now we can start concentrating on what that future looks like.

“There is still plenty of work ahead – and a mortgage to pay – but the important thing is that The Garibaldi is secure.

“The next time someone comes in for a pint, they can enjoy it just a little bit more knowing that this really is their pub.”

Notes to editors

The Garibaldi is a community pub in Redhill, Surrey, operated by The Garibaldi Community Pub CIC since 2017.

The pub is more than 160 years old and operates on a not-for-private-profit basis. No individual shareholder or corporation receives profits from the business, with surpluses reinvested into the pub and its community activities.

The Garibaldi hosts regular community groups, events, fundraising activities and live entertainment.

The purchase of the freehold completed on Friday 7 August 2026.

This article was made using ChatGPT, so is intended to provide information rather than being used in full.

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