13/09/2026
❤️ A LITTLE BIT FROM ME…
With the biggest project we’ve ever undertaken about to begin at The Viking Hotel, I wanted to write something a little more personal.
Sometimes when you own a pub, people see the improvements being made but don’t necessarily see what goes on behind the scenes to make them possible.
We’re not brewery funded. There isn’t a big company behind The Viking paying for renovations or handing us a pot of money for improvements. It’s just myself and my team.
Everything we have achieved has come from working, saving, borrowing and, at times, quite literally scraping together what we can.
The late nights, early mornings, seven-day weeks and time away from my family all go towards trying to make this place better.
And I couldn’t do any of it without the team around me. They put the hours in alongside me, keep the place going and work incredibly hard to help us move forward.🥰
The rendering we’re about to have done is by far the biggest investment and biggest project we have ever undertaken.
I know there are lots of smaller jobs around the pub that people may notice and wonder why they haven't been done yet. Please understand that it isn't because we don't see them or don't care about them.
We've had to prioritise.
There was little point spending thousands improving and decorating the inside while we still had problems on the outside that could undo all that work and mean throwing good money after bad.
The outside of the building needed sorting properly first. The rendering was essential.
Since the passing of my dad, who was the landlord here before me, I feel like we’ve come such a long way. There have been plenty of difficult moments, but also so much progress, and I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve managed to achieve.
A huge part of why I keep pushing forward is because I want to keep making him proud.
I know he’d want me to keep improving the place, keep working hard and keep building on everything that came before. I’m not trying to change everything overnight — I just want to keep moving forward one small step at a time.
Once this project is finished, I'll be the first to admit that the pot will be pretty empty! 😂 So it may be a while before we're able to tackle another major investment.
But that's okay.
Because for me, this is the start of my dream for The Viking.
I have a vision of what I want this place to become. I know I can't do everything tomorrow, next month or even next year. But I'll keep working towards it.
One job at a time. One improvement at a time.
Some will be big, some will be small, but hopefully over the years I'll be able to make every upgrade I've imagined become a reality.
So when you see the scaffolding, the workmen and the disruption over the coming weeks, please bear with us. It's taken a huge amount of work and sacrifice to get to the point where we can finally do this.
And to everyone who supports us — whether that's coming in for a pint, having a meal, staying with us, joining us for entertainment or simply recommending us to someone — thank you.
You might not realise it, but you're helping an independent business continue to improve and allowing me to keep chasing that dream.
We’ve already come a long way, and there’s still a long way to go — but I’ll keep doing everything I can to make my dad proud, one small step at a time. ❤️
Much love
Jess💙❤️
