A campaigner who spearheaded the fight to save a village's last remaining pub has been shortlisted posthumously for a national community champion award.

David Leader died in March this year, just weeks before the Palmers’ hostelry The White Lion reopened as a community pub in Broadwindsor.

He is a finalist in the Community Contribution Award run by The Plunkett Foundation.

Plunkett’s annual Rural Community Business Awards celebrate inspirational and outstanding examples of community-owned businesses and the kind-hearted individuals involved in them, who have gone above and beyond for their communities over the last year.

The winner of the Community Contribution Award, which is sponsored by property developers Thakeham, will be decided by public vote.

Summaries of the nominations are on Plunkett’s website and the public have until Friday Nov 4 to make their choice.

The winners will be announced at a special ceremony on November 17 at St Martin in the Fields, London.

Rick Dyke, who took over as chairman of Broadwindsor Community Pub Ltd, after David’s sudden death, said: "We’re delighted that his work has been recognised by The Plunkett Foundation, a national charity which plays such a big role in supporting rural communities across the UK."

When Broadwindsor's only pub closed in the summer of 2021, David Leader rallied the troops and got the community on board to spearhead a campaign to re-open it as a community-owned pub.

David had already been the driving force of so many amazing things in the village - the multi-use games area, the community sports field and the community land trust as well as acting as the village hall chairman.

Mr Dyke said: "David was always a very supportive, inclusive, energetic and enthusiastic champion for Broadwindsor. He made good things happen. Leading a committee and taking the local public with him, he headed a campaign to raise the funds needed to take on the pub tenancy as a community. Under David’s leadership a Crowdfunder campaign was launched and, astonishingly, smashed the target within a week.

"His enthusiasm, kindness and commitment inspired everyone to get on board."

The committee had just taken on a pub manager, ready for opening in the spring of 2022 when David died suddenly in March 2022 at the age of just 64.

Mr Dyke said: "The village was shattered – we’d lost our driving force and the man behind so many good things. But we were determined to make this project happen, as a tribute to David's memory, as a force for all that is good in the community.

"The White Lion opened its doors as a community pub on 29 April 2022. And thanks to David Leader, the pub is once again the beating heart of our vibrant village."

This month will also see the official opening on Saturday 12 November of the newly-revamped village green at Bernards’ Place, Broadwindsor, part of a major project in which David was instrumental and includes the installation of solar panels and an air source heat pump at the village hall.

The project was supported by a Crowdfunding campaign and grants from The National Lottery Community Fund, Dorset Council’s Capital Leverage Fund, Sport England’s Places and Spaces Fund and the local FMR Trust.