THE Culross community has been able to raise a glass in its very own pub.

The Red Lion has passed into community ownership finally after a mammoth fundraising campaign which saw contributions flood in from across the globe thanks to the pulling power of TV blockbuster Outlander.

Villagers were spurred into action when owners, David Alexander and Ann Dowds, who had enjoyed a roaring trade at the Red Lion for more than 30 years, announced their plans to retire.

A share offer was launched along with the formation of a community benefit society, the West Fife Community Trading Limited, which sought to raise the necessary £800,000 to buy the pub.

Its secretary, Tim Collins, was delighted to have eventually got the venture over the line.

"Everyone is absolutely elated," he said. "It was a smooth transition. The tenant took over on Monday so had to get all the new systems and orders in place and it seems to have gone without a hitch.

"We have sent out share certificates. The community owns lumps of the pub. People who own shares in the pub are all around the world. We have people in America saying we wish we could be with you to celebrate. We have people in Australia, all over Europe. We have had a tremendous response.

"The owners who sold it to us did such a wonderful job building it into such a brilliant, loveable and resilient pub and should be really proud."

Culross was used to depict the village of Cranesmuir in the TV series and Sam Heughan, who plays Jamie Fraser, revealed on Twitter that the historic pub was where he and co-star Caitriona Balfe first shared a drink during filming.

The category B-listed hostelry dates back to around 1570 and was originally a merchant's house. In the mid-1700s, it was among 11 'ale houses' in Culross but, by 2011, it was the only one left.

Tim said they had had lots of messages of support but hadn't had a chance to see if any of their famous followers had passed on a message.

"We have just been so busy fielding questions I haven't had a chance to look," he added. "The team are just so relieved. You can just see the enthusiasm. We have to make sure it continues to work."