OAK Community Update - January 2026
Open Arms Kington is delighted to announce two items of good news this January!
OAK receives major Community Spaces Capital Grant!
First, as you may have already seen in this Hereford Times article, OAK has recently secured a major grant from Herefordshire Council and Talk Community. The Community Spaces Capital Grant is a very significant step toward our fundraising total, and it will be used to part-fund the upcoming renovations of The Oxford Arms and its reopening as a community hub with café, bar and B&B accommodation. This grant represents a significant proportion of the funding required to supplement the next stage of our application to The National Lottery Heritage Fund in late spring 2026, though we continue to fundraise to meet our target.
Key points at a glance:
How much has OAK been awarded, and what will it be spent on?
This Community Spaces Capital Grant provides OAK with £250,000 that will be spent on essential renovations of The Oxford Arms. All the money is to be spent on capital works; none of this grant will be spent on running costs or events.
When will the work start?
We are working closely with the Heritage Fund to obtain the remaining money needed. It's a complex process and there are still hoops to get through for our application to be successful but we hope the renovation work will be underway by the end of 2026.
What will the renovation works involve?
The Oxford is dilapidated and needs an extensive programme of work before it can safely (and legally) be fully reopened. Essential works include the installation of a new phase 3 electrical connection from the grid, rewiring the whole building, upgrading fire safety to meet the latest requirements, waterproofing and insulating the roof and building envelope, restoring windows, and urgent repairs to pipework and drains. A lift will be installed to make the first floor and whole bar area accessible for all users, the catering kitchen will be moved downstairs, a suite of community service rooms will be installed in place of the old kitchen on the first floor, and all the guest bedrooms and bathrooms will be renovated. Downstairs, the bar areas will be redesigned to make better use of the space, new doors will be installed at the rear to give access to the courtyard, the toilets will be replaced, and a fully accessible toilet will be installed. We look forward to sharing the detailed architectural plans later this year.
How much will this cost, and how much does OAK still need to raise to renovate and reopen The Oxford?
The total cost of these capital works will exceed £1.5 million. OAK will apply to the Heritage Fund for a “Delivery Phase” grant which would cover the majority of this cost, but we still need to raise around a further £250,000 reach our target. This means that while the Community Spaces Capital Grant is a huge step, there is still work to be done. OAK is currently in advanced discussions with several major funding bodies to help get us there, and we’ll be also be hosting community fundraising events this spring because all contributions, donations and support help.
OAK is delighted to announce that two new directors have joined the board!
Jane Maggs became a director at the start of January. Jane has been a volunteer with OAK for several years already; if you’ve visited our Caravan Café, then you may have already tried Jane’s delicious cooking!
Jane was an agricultural botanist and later a landscape architect in both Australia and England. Her interests revolve around the relationship between plants, food and the local landscape. Jane set up a preserves business in Cumbria specifically to showcase hyper local produce and foraged wild plants and was Chair of Sustainable Food Carlisle.
In Kington, Jane is perhaps best known as “the Marmalade Judge” for her work judging the annual Marches Marmalade Competition (held at The Oxford each April), and she is passionate about promoting sustainable and affordable good food.
Mary Myaya joined the board of directors in mid-January. Mary has a background in public health and community development. She has worked for grantmaking organisations and charities that support international development initiatives, as well as local organisations overseas.
Closer to home, Mary was part of a health promotion team based in Bristol for the NHS. She has lived in the borders since 2000, in the Radnorshire hills for 15 years – with Kington being her local town – and now in Hay-on-Wye.
Mary is particularly interested in how a sense of belonging to a place-based community contributes to health, mental health and social well-being.
Welcome Jane and Mary, we’re all delighted to have you on board!!
Open Arms Kington still seeks one additional director with finance and/or business experience to complete our board. If you have a background in business or finance and want to contribute to creating lasting, positive change in Kington, click on the button below to download our director recruitment pack which contains all the key details, or drop us an email at info@openarmskington.co.uk to arrange an informal chat.