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In a village in the north of England, in a town forgotten by the public authorities, the businesses have closed one by one. It was without counting the determination of the inhabitants who rolled up their sleeves. The story of a rebirth, so as not to die.
Planted in the middle of the fields, the village of Trawden (Lancashire, United Kingdom) could look like thousands of others, in the English countryside, hit by the rural exodus, and emptied of their businesses. But here, the 2,000 inhabitants resist. Together, they gave life to their community, from the grocery store to the library, by donating their time or their money. The pub is the most recent example of this collective momentum. Last year, when it had just closed, the inhabitants bought it to save it.
They are now 460 shareholders, who have invested an average of 1,300 euros each. “The pub is the heart of the village”says a resident. “Losing him would mean losing contact with our friends”, adds a woman. Residents have also reopened the village grocery store, raising funds and grants. They have also and above all rekindled the desire to live here. Trawden was even voted “best village in the North East of England” by a major daily.