08/09/2026
It is hard to know where to begin with this post but please be kind.
On Monday afternoon I was sent an email from the Regional Manager at Stonegate who was checking that I had vacated The Wansbeck. As you can imagine, this was a horrendous shock. I was told that I had attended a meeting face to face and was served with this notice two weeks ago. I was not. This, unfortunately, is my experience with Stonegate in a nutshell. It is no coincidence that I made an official complaint to the company two weeks ago. They will now no longer respond to any of my calls or emails, leaving me in limbo.
When I took over The Wansbeck it is hard to explain what we had to deal with as a family. After being provided with a "pub safe" document to prove that everything was as it should be with the property, the wheels fell off. The electrics were deemed a risk to life, the roof leaked, the balcony was a wreck and nothing in the commercial kitchen worked or had been signed off since 2016! I fought, very very hard to get this rectified. Some work started but the work in the kitchen is still not complete now. The previous contractors on the jobs made threats towards me and were removed from site. It has been unending and nightmarish.
On the customer facing side of things, we have smiled through everything. Built something to be so proud of. A community local that genuinely cares about each and every person who comes through the door.
I am an incredibly private person, as I think you all can understand, but this is where I have been left now. No home, no livelihood. It's times like this that I am so grateful that I have the unending support of my family and that life has taught me to be resourceful.
The Wansbeck will be an empty pub once more. Those of you who know me, know how passionately I feel about reopening pubs. I fear this may be the end for this beautiful building, this hub that we created.
I would like to say a huge thank you for all of the support that you have given us this last 18 months and for bringing joy when things were very hard behind the scenes. Huge love from all at The Wansbeck. We hope to see you soon ♥️
If you feel that you have any comments to make to Stonegate please contact [email protected]
We will be open tonight from 5pm, lots of drinks offers and possibly a chance to say our goodbyes.
