CAMPAIGNERS battling to save a village pub for the community have raised more than £200,000 in share purchases to mark the 350th anniversary of the pub’s famous namesake.

The Henry Jenkins in Kirkby Malzeard near Masham, has been closed since 2011, as villagers and supporters fought to buy it and run it as a community pub.

The pub is after the oldest Yorkshireman to have ever lived, Henry Jenkins, who is buried at Bolton on Swale near Richmond.

He is said to have been born in 1500 and died in 1670 at the ripe old age of 169.

Developers applied for permission to demolish part or all of the pub to build houses on the site but have been turned down.

One planning appeal has been refused and a second is due to be heard on March 26.

Dave Robinson, chair of the Henry Jenkins Community Pub Ltd, said: “It’s exactly 350 years since Henry Jenkins’ death and we’re determined that this year we will honour him by leaving a lasting legacy.

“Raising £200,750 in community shares is a ringing endorsement of the level of support this project has.

“We’re well on our way to reaching our target of £230,000 in share sales and with grants and loans we hope we’ll soon be in a position to buy the Henry Jenkins and bring it back as a thriving community pub that the great man would be proud to put his name to.”

He added that the latest planning appeal was an attempt to sidestep legitimate planning policies designed to protect community facilities.

“It’s just riding roughshod over the wishes of local people determined to save this historic facility for future generations,” said Mr Robinson.

The community group has been supported by the Campaign for Real Ale.

The chairman of the campaign’s committee, Paul Ainsworth, said: “At a time when 18 pubs are closing their doors every week, the work of community pub organisations such as HJCP Ltd is essential in protecting pubs as social hubs and vital community facilities.”

The Kirkby Malzeard pub is thought to be about 250 years old and was one of several hostelries across the region named after Yorkshire’s legendary oldest resident.

Supporters believe this is now the only one bearing the Henry Jenkins name still remaining.