CAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALE

The Sun is Saved!

Mark Haslem reports that he spoke to Nick Davies of Hobson Brewery, one of the new owners of the Sun Inn, this morning at 9am. Nick was able to confirm that he had the keys to the Sun Inn in his pocket. It is anticipated that legal formalities will be fully concluded by the end of today, Friday 6th November. Hopefully a bright future now awaits the Sun Inn.

This tremendous news will be covered by the BBC on their regional news programme, Midlands Today, on Monday 9th November, and again on their BBC Breakfast programme on Wednesday 11th November.

The new owners of the Sun Inn will shortly be setting up their own web site for the pub, and look forward to welcoming people to the Sun Inn for many years to come. Members of the SaveTheSun Yahoo Group will be invited to join a ‘Friends of the Sun’ group, when the web site goes live (details to follow).

Mark Haslam comments:

“I believe the combination of Nick and Gary is extremely reassuring for the future of the Sun Inn. Nick brings the pub business wherewithal and financial security that the Sun Inn needs, and Gary brings a lot of local credibility. Both of them have been involved in the pub for a number of years, most recently organising the pub’s annual beer festival, held in the rear garden back over the damp August bank holiday weekend.

Nick Davis says: “I am delighted to be taking on the Sun Inn with Gary. We recognise its history as much as anybody, and its importance to the community of Leintwardine. However, we do realise that the pub business will need to now ‘wash it’s face’ if it is to have a sustainable future.”

He anticipates that any changes will be carefully undertaken and there will be no impact on the front rooms, other than perhaps a bit of tidying up. The current thinking for the pub is to expand the kitchen-based beer stillage to increase the number of beers on offer, and create a new (separate) ‘garden room’ intended for community and music events. Certainly, there are no plans for a dining operation – the Sun Inn will continue to be first and foremost a community pub, and will now start to attract more people from the village than perhaps it has done historically.

Nick and Gary have given an undertaking to CAMRA that they will preserve the front rooms intact. They appreciate that maintaining the unique character of the pub and its garden are essential – they see people will want to visit the Sun Inn precisely because of its interesting and unusual history. The new owners-to-be have already sought help from Herefordshire CAMRA, and we will continue to work closely in partnership with to ensure that the pub’s development does not jeopardise the wonderful legacy of Flossie.

There will be another update in the next 4-5 days.