Villagers who “slogged” to raise more than £300,000 to buy their under-threat local pub say they are baffled that no-one wants to step in and run it.

The Fishers Arms in Horncliffe, near Berwick-upon-Tweed, shut in 2021 but reopened in December 2023 after a massive fundraising effort to make it a community asset.

After its first tenants quit within three months, only one couple has applied for the tenancy but then backed out.

Moira Kay, who is part of a team of volunteers who work 14-hour days to keep the venue open, said villagers desperately wanted a couple to “fall in love with our beloved pub” and take on a “viable business”.