16/09/2026
❤️ A little update from us…
I’m afraid it’s now confirmed that we will be leaving the pub on 7th October, with our last trading day being Sunday 4th October.
As many of you know, last winter was incredibly difficult for us. We simply couldn’t always meet the required three-barrelage because, at times, the pub just didn’t warrant that level of stock.
Unfortunately, this meant we were fined. We went to Stonegate, explained our situation and asked for help. We made it clear that we were struggling to achieve the three-barrel requirement and needed some support and flexibility to get through the difficult period and get the business back on its feet.
To be fair, Stonegate did give us free b**r on two occasions, and we are grateful for that. However, by the time that support was offered, we were already so far into the fines that it simply wasn’t enough to make any meaningful difference to what had already accrued.
What we think is important for people to understand is just how much we personally put into trying to make this pub work. We used our own savings to decorate and improve the pub, to make it a nicer place for everyone and to try to make the business viable. There were also times when we used our own money to buy food and even help pay staff when the business simply didn’t have enough coming in.
We genuinely put everything we had into trying to make it work. We didn’t just walk away when things became difficult — we kept trying, because we cared about the pub, the community and all of you.
But eventually, you reach a point where you simply cannot keep putting your own money into a business that isn’t generating enough to sustain itself.
We tried repeatedly to find a way forward, but once the fines had built up to the level they had, we were never able to catch up. Sadly, we have now been told that Stonegate will not allow us to continue because of the fines owed, so we have no choice but to leave.
We’re incredibly sad, but rather than focus on the difficult ending, we want to bow out on a high. ❤️
And that means we are going to make these final weeks count! Every weekend until we leave will be about celebrating — good drinks, music, laughter and, most importantly, seeing as many of you as possible. 🎉
We are so incredibly thankful to everyone who has supported us. We have met some truly wonderful people through this pub, and those friendships and memories will stay with us long after we’ve left.
There is some good news too. Someone is currently looking at taking the pub on temporarily and keeping it open, which we are absolutely delighted about. We really hope the pub continues to be at the heart of the community.
We’ll have Monday and Tuesday to clear everything out, with the new arrangement taking over on Wednesday 7th October.
And thankfully, we’re not going far! We’ll only be down the road and will forever be locals. ❤️
So please come and join us over these last few weeks. Let’s fill the place, celebrate what we’ve created together and go out on a high.
Thank you for everything.
Caroline & Daniel xx
