Portloe, a charming village nestled on the Roseland peninsula in Cornwall, is teetering on the brink of becoming a ghost town. Once a thriving fishing community, it now lies dormant for much of the year due to its appeal as a second home hotspot - with approximately 60 per cent of homes unoccupied throughout the year.

The South West Coast Path village, which has witnessed numerous business closures and lacks even a basic shop, heavily depends on its local pub to maintain a sense of community spirit. Therefore, when St Austell Brewery revealed plans to sell the Ship Inn, it sent shockwaves through Portloe and surrounding villages.

However, the village's small yet determined population of around 100 full-time residents refuse to surrender without a struggle. They've devised a strategy to transfer ownership of the Ship to the community.

But this is no easy task. The historic pub, dating back to the 1700s, comes with a substantial asking price of £550,000.

Nonetheless, the Save Our Ship group remains steadfast in their resolve to raise the required funds to preserve the pub as a community asset for future generations.

Paula Jones, an integral member of the local initiative, spoke to CornwallLive: "This pub is a really important part of the community. It is a social asset. Without it, we could really see Portloe being hollowed out. It's been very emotive for a lot of people in the area. We really need to be able to sustain our beautiful pub and all its history for future generations. By ensuring its survival, we will be helping to sustain other businesses as well."

Online commenter CORNISH BOY pointed out an economic perspective: "80p for a 500ml can at the Supermarket or £4.50 for a pint at the Pub. This is the logic of the problem, not second home holders. Primary Householders put pressure on local services - doctors, dentists, schools etc. Second home holders do not."

Justice4cornwall also told CornwallLive: "It is such a shame that second homers destroy local villages by their vain desire to acquire a second property."

Weighing in with historical context, Pyworthypilgrim remarked: "The local 'fisherman's cottage' was flogged some years ago to satisfy that fisherman's option to make a profit. It's now become a saleable property for an even richer investor. And where is 'fishing' as an industry on the timescale anymore?"

Andre Dingle expressed concerns: "This is the problem. I knew several Cornish families that lived there and then the city dwellers offered them fantastic money for their homes. Money talks unfortunately. If your house was valued at £200k and a city dweller offered you £400k would you sell it? I probably would. This is happening every day of the week and our kids haven't a chance in hell of getting on the property ladder."

Woody-1961 lists a litany of issues plaguing Cornwall: "Much bigger problems than this wrecking Cornwall now! Grubby cheap housing developments, wind farms, solar panels, selling off farmland, car parking, dogs, obesity, lack of dentists, poverty, unemployment, poor education, poor council management, greed, excessive use of SEND tags, poor parenting, litter, poor NHS services, roads management. Waste in many forms and poor care for the elderly."

Nevawrong expresses a sombre view of local pubs: "Pubs are a hub of the community but it feels that this is a place that is not long to be around."

Tony Conway proposes a solution: "I think we need restricted covenants on home/house sales. Certainly more council homes with local affordable rents."

Margot Miller also weighed in: "They tried that. Was it St Ives? Covenants are very flexible. If someone has a relative living in a place they can prove a 'local connection' easily. Council houses need to be paid for by the council, our tax only and the pittance councils now get from Westminster. Things are so much tougher now. Also, the right to buy removed a lot of council houses out of the available pot. And 'affordable housing' is just not that affordable for many."

Aggers shared a contrasting viewpoint, stating: "Wonderful place! Must keep it open! Ask all the second home owners to cough up a thousand pounds or more to keep it in the community? Surely that's one of the attractions why they bought their cottages? Good on you, keep fighting!".

Meanwhile, Frustrat simply concluded: "You are all wasting your time, just let it go."