Elm Tree Inn TikTok video helps save Dorset pub

A viral Elm Tree Inn TikTok video has helped rescue a much-loved village pub in Dorset, earning its creators a nomination at the TikTok Awards UK & Ireland 2025. The historic Elm Tree Inn in Langton Herring closed in late 2023, prompting locals to launch a creative campaign to buy and reopen it as a community pub...

Locals campaigning to save the Elm Tree Inn (Image: Natalia Goncherenko)

Their Gen Z-style TikTok clip, which used humour and modern slang, quickly gained international attention. Support came from countries including Brazil, Australia and Singapore, boosting donations to their crowdfunding page and encouraging more people to join the community share offer. The success of the Elm Tree Inn TikTok video helped raise enough money for villagers to buy the pub and reopen it in July 2025.

The video has now been nominated for a TikTok award, recognising how social media can support meaningful community action. Supporters say the Elm Tree Inn TikTok video shows how humour, collaboration and creativity can make a real difference.

The Elm Tree Inn TikTok video: sparking global support

The community group Friends of the Elm Tree Inn formed after the pub closed in November 2023. Determined not to lose their local, the group launched a fundraising campaign and began planning a community share offer to secure the pub’s long-term future.

To raise awareness beyond Dorset, they produced a Gen Z-inspired TikTok video written by Sarah Warren and starring her father, Tim. The clip used playful slang and a parody campaign script to highlight the importance of the pub. The approach worked: the Elm Tree Inn TikTok video reached audiences across the world within days, attracting donations from people who had never visited the village but wanted to help protect a traditional British pub.

International contributions, combined with growing local support, drove the community’s crowdfunding success. The viral surge also boosted the share offer, helping the group build a solid financial base for the purchase.

From fundraiser to community-owned pub

The fundraising effort continued into 2025, with the community raising the money needed to secure the future of the Elm Tree Inn. Local investors, donors and supporters helped the Friends group reach the required amount to buy the building. In May 2025, the community completed the purchase, and the pub officially reopened in July 2025.

Under its new community-run model, the Elm Tree Inn aims to remain welcoming, affordable and rooted in village life. The team behind the project emphasises the importance of keeping rural pubs alive and providing spaces where people can connect.

A modern campaign with lasting impact

The nomination for a TikTok award reflects the impact of the campaign, but the community credits the true success to collective effort. The Elm Tree Inn TikTok video proved that a creative digital idea can bring people together, even from thousands of miles away.

The story now stands as an example of how small communities can use social media to protect local heritage, strengthen social bonds and create lasting change. In Langton Herring, the blend of humour, creativity and determination has ensured the Elm Tree Inn continues to serve the village for generations to come.

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