Publican calls on trade for help after devastating fire ravages his pub
Mike Long has started a crowdfunding campaign to raise the mammoth £290,000 needed to rebuild Chideock's Clockhouse Inn after he was told he was under-insured.
Long urged fellow licensees to review their insurance policies and told the Publican’s Morning Advertiser: “I would like to highlight what we have gone through and how it can be avoided to enable others in the licensed trade not to suffer in the same way we have.
“On Easter Monday our world was torn apart. Our three generation run business burnt to the ground, taking along with it every single possession that we owned. The pub was 500-years-old thatched building that was the hub of our local community. My nine year old daughter has already given me money out of her piggy bank to fix the pub and it is breaking our hearts.
“I have taken the massive step of making a Gofundme page to highlight our plight and try and get some help from the local community as well as people around the country.”
No-one was hurt in the fire, but the pub was gutted. Long was insured for £560,000 but was told he would need to be insured for £1.3 million to cover the cost of rebuilding the historic pub.
More than 14 fire crews tackled the blaze, which is believed to have started in a chimney, when it broke out earlier this year.
The family have already tried more conventional fundraising methods, including a beer festival held at the village hall.
