Momentum is building for a group bidding to bring a village pub back to life as a community asset.
The Bell Inn is a private watering hole dating back to the 1650s in Salhouse.
The current owner is looking to sell the pub after he had temporarily put the site on the market for £375,000 a year ago.
Villager Graham Johnston, 43, has since led a campaign to breathe new life into the Lower Street boozer.
He is currently exploring ways to fund £2,000 for a valuation survey and to help with business planning.
Mr Johnston said: "It feels like people are really supporting us, not just with words of encouragement but with money as well.
"We are wanting a pub in the village as it is important to have a place to socialise and a community space where families can go for a cup of coffee.
"It is more and more important, even when thinking about utility prices going through the roof to provide somewhere for people to keep warm."
Mr Johnston - who moved back to the area with his young family in April 2021 - is running The Loch Ness Marathon this Sunday to raise funds for The Bell Inn.
He has already raised more than £800 for the cause with further fundraising events lined up later in the year as the campaign grows.
The villager has estimated the new pub will be up and running by Christmas 2023.
And following the announcement that the Prima Rosa tea room and craft shop in Salhouse will be closing, there are growing calls for basic groceries to be sold at the community pub.
Mr Johnston said: "The building has quite a few different rooms so we could set aside one of the rooms for shelves without too much work.
"We are not thinking about extensions at this stage."
The Plunkett Foundation is providing 15 hours of free consultancy as part of the bid.
Martin Murrell, Conservative district councillor for Salhouse, said: "The campaign is definitely heading in the right direction and it is encouraging to see the pub could remain as a community asset and as a pub."
Mr Johnston's fundraising page can be found at justgiving.com/crowdfunding/graham-johnston-5
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