Campaigners fighting to save a unique pub on the very edge of East Hampshire are ready to talk with potential buyers with its future hanging in the balance.

Admiral Taverns have put The Flying Bull in Rake up for sale with Everard Cole inviting freehold offers in the region of £625,000 for the pub and two-acre site.

A Keep the Bull Flying group was launched in late 2025 in a bid to save the boarded-up pub which straddles the Hampshire-West Sussex border and once appeared on Four in a Bed.

Their committee met before the pub went on the market but the move has given members hope with the group also putting together a marketing document to share with potential buyers.

“The fact that it’s being advertised as a pub, rather than a site for development, gives us some cause for optimism,” said member, Jo Kent.

An application to designate The Flying Bull as an Asset of Community Value has also been filed with West Sussex County Council with the move being supported by Rother Valley MP Andrew Griffith.

“Protecting our vital community asserts is such an important thing to do and it would be devastating if Rake loses The Flying Bull,” wrote Mr Griffith, who added that similar attempts to save pubs in Cocking and Rackham had been successful.

A similar campaign is taking place in East Meon as a group is looking into the viability of a community bid to acquire The Izaak Walton.

Its prospective operator and landlord has invited villagers, visitors or previous users to take part in a survey to assess local demand, shape the type of pub that would reopen, and explore whether community involvement or investment is appropriate.

To take part visit https://shorturl.at/FpAn3 or email [email protected] or WhatsApp 07884 855486.