A Wem man is calling on people to back his attempts to breathe life into a rural pub on the outskirts of the town by getting behind his kickstarter.

Dan Thomas, who attended Thomas Adams School, has launched the campaign alongside Shrewsbury-based Tom Newman, to open up a restaurant at the Tilley Raven, hoping to fulfill his dreams of owning his own eaterie.

He wants the pub, in Tilley Road in Tilley, to be a community hub to the people of Wem alongside the main focus of food and drink and hopes residents give him the support he needs

"Every once in a while, the opportunity to do something special comes up," he said. "In this case it's to take a countryside pub which, in the not to distant past was well-loved by many and the centre of the community, and give it a brand new lease of life.

"Many people dream of having their own restaurant – I am one of those people, after falling in love with the Tilley Raven. My vision is to create somewhere where we can propagate memorable experiences within a friendly atmosphere and bring the community together to share these good times.

"It's an 18th century venue situated in the black and white hamlet of Tilley was the heart of the community in its day but has sadly been closed for the past year.

"I instantly fell in love. It ticked all the boxes, so the first thought was, 'obviously this is out of reach!' After a few conversations, emails, spreadsheets, screwed up bits of paper and meetings with the community, I'm unbelievably, in a position where this dream may become reality.

"The vision is to create a hub for the community within this destination restaurant with the main focus on people and the comprehensive offer rather than just food. The idea is to create something that will develop community cohesion."

Dan says the building is in good shape, and he hopes to have areas for diners and non-diners, promising to give those who will support them a meal to remember.

"The food will be of the highest quality, working closely with local suppliers but keeping the dishes interesting and always delicious," he added. "A small bar menu will be available throughout the weekday lunch times.

"We will have wines, beers, ciders from some of the best producers. When finished, this will truly be a unique place in Shropshire."

Dan added that his plans to go down a kickstarter route, which is an ever-increasing way of financing new ventures, as a way of getting more people involved.

He said: "Not only will you be helping us rejuvenate a beautiful site, but genuinely you’ll be making a dream come true. In return, we want you to feel part of something, that we think, is quite unique and special in the area."

For more, head to https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tilleyraven/the-tilley-raven?ref=project_email