After being closed for over 14 months, The Horse and Jockey pub at Northwood finally re-opened its doors in its new incarnation as a Community Pub just in time for Christmas.
Upon hearing the pub was to be put up for sale in October 2022, a community group was quickly formed with the goal of saving the pub. They campaigned hard over the next 9 months, gaining the support of Wem Rural Parish Council, and local MP, Helen Morgan, along the way. After nearly a year of very hard work, a team of 9 volunteers managed to raise the funds needed from nearly 90 local community shareholders, a very generous loan from a local business man and money from the central government levelling up fund, in order to purchase the Horse and Jockey and to resurrect it as a community pub.
As expected after a closure of 14 months, there was a lot of work to set up a new pub effectively from scratch. Initially, the focus was on the most pressing urgent jobs, with the focus on refitting the cellar, refurbishment of the bar area, some general DIY tasks as well as a deep clean of the public areas helped by members of the village.
The hard work paid off when opening night came. The evening was a huge success with the inaugural pint pulled by local MP, Helen Morgan, and witnessed by Bob Hockenhull from BBC Midlands Today and reporters from the Shropshire Star and Whitchurch Herald.
Since then, the committee has not stood still and works have been ongoing since the end of January to complete the first phase of a refurbishment programme of the kitchen, restaurant and snug area. The finished works will see a completely newly decorated restaurant and snug with new furniture and furnishings to go with a totally new menu to reflect the comments and requests of the community as part of the surveys completed last year. Other projects for 2024 will be the creation of a pub garden so that people can
enjoy a drink and a bite to eat as and when the sun decides to shine this summer.
The Horse and Jockey community pub is completely invested in being a part of local life and they are pleased to be able to begin hosting a local business networking group regularly from April onwards. Doors are also open on Friday mornings at 10am for coffee and cake which have proved very popular so far and these will expand these as the year goes on. The menu and drinks offerings also reflect a commitment to serving local produce wherever possible. With so many fantastic producers around this area it is incredibly easy to work towards the aim of zero food miles.
Along with the welcome return of the local ladies cards group and regular visits from the tractor club, and young farmers, the Horse and Jockey is also delighted to be able to offer regular quiz nights, and, after several requests, bingo evenings! Suggestions for other events are very welcome and all upcoming events are advertised on the pub face book page.
The Horse and Jockey, in its new incarnation really is going from strength to strength and the team behind the bar are really looking forward to meeting and providing a warm welcome to as many familiar and new faces as possible in 2024.
