News

Booming Pub Industry

At a time when pubs are going out of business at an astounding daily rate, the local pub industry in Longhope is bucking the trend and expanding their businesses. The Yew Tree Inn has recently been completely refurbished by its new owner and local man, Paul Williams. But he isn’t stopping there. He is now building nine new self-contained chalets in order to corner the bed and breakfast market for tourists visiting the area, as well as contractors and businessmen. If all goes well, the chalets are due to be completed by September, and could create a few extra jobs at the pub.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the village, The Farmer’s Boy is also adding more bed and breakfast rooms to the ones it already has, three new family rooms, taking it from five to eight rooms in total. Not only that, Phil Kiernan, the owner, is expanding his “Mad About Pies” business by taking over a unit on the Forest Vale Industrial Estate at Cinderford, after securing a contract to supply 30,000 pies to Worcester Rugby Club (The Warriors). There is already a deli at the pub and it has an internet trade too, and he supplies other customers such as Cheltenham Town Football Club and intends to open a shop in Eastgate Street in Gloucester next month and then further shops all over the country in the near future, creating more jobs for the local community. Good luck to both enterprises (and hope it gets us a free pint?)