Kington community project receives £250,000 grant for renovation work

Open Arms Kington (OAK) is one of 13 community organisations in Herefordshire to receive a Community Spaces Capital Grant from Herefordshire Council and Talk Community. 

This grant will be used to part-fund upcoming renovations that will preserve the rich heritage of The Oxford Arms in Kington while returning the space to the community as a venue for events and services, as well as boosting the local economy and providing jobs through the café, bar and B&B offering.

OAK’s Community Spaces Capital Grant of £250,000 represents a significant proportion of the funding required to match a Delivery Phase grant application to The National Lottery Heritage Fund in spring 2026.

The total project cost will exceed £1.5 million, and OAK continues to fundraise to meet this target. OAK hopes that renovation works will commence in winter 2026-27, with the full reopening of The Oxford Arms to follow in summer 2027.

The Oxford Arms in Kington is a historic, Grade II-listed coaching inn with medieval roots that has been at the heart of Kington’s community for over five centuries. 

Without support from Herefordshire Council and Talk Community, the Heritage Fund, and other funders, the building would fall further into disrepair and be lost to Kington’s future. 

Thanks to a Development Grant from the Heritage Fund, the project plans are now advanced and OAK is excited to return the renovated space to the community.

Judith Gardner, co-director of Open Arms Kington, said: “Receiving such a generous award from Herefordshire Council and Talk Community is a significant endorsement of this project to provide Kington with a vibrant and sustainable community hub. 

“Raising the funds needed to repair and renovate The Oxford is no easy task, so we are delighted that now we are a major step nearer our goal.”

Open Arms Kington is a Community Interest Company based at the historic Oxford Arms coaching inn in Kington, Herefordshire. 

Formed in 2021, OAK is contributing to community revival and regeneration while securing the future of an iconic building by transforming The Oxford Arms into a community hub with café, bar, food, and B&B accommodation – a place where everyone can feel a sense of belonging, and where good things happen every day.

For more information visit www.openarmskington.co.uk or follow them on Facebook and Instagram: @openarmskington