East and West Midlands
Red Hart
Kington, Worcestershire
People power has paid off in Worcestershire, where the Red Hart has hit back from the threat of demolition to become a hive of activity for the local community. The homely country pub and restaurant in Kington was in severe danger of being pulled down after its owners went bankrupt nine years ago.
Petition pays off
It lay derelict for four years and was then sold to housing developers before the locals came to the rescue. They petitioned for the 500-year-old pub to be saved and were delighted when Jane Pritchard and her American husband Barr put in a successful offer to reopen the Union Pub Company-owned premises in 2002.
Locals flock to help
Since then, the local community's undying faith in the popular pub has been richly rewarded, with the Red Hart going from strength to strength under the tender loving care of lessees Jane and Barr, together with business partner Neil Richards.
Manager Darren Hales, pictured with Jane, says: "Jane and Barr had been members of the community for a long time before taking on the Red Hart, living just a couple of hundred yards away, so they knew how important it was to the local people.
"When the pub was rebuilt from an empty shell, local tradesmen and craftsmen, many of whom were previously regular drinkers at the pub, were employed."
Supporting the community
Darren believes that since its reopening,
the Red Hart has cemented itself as "The Heart of the Community" - the name of a brochure that the pub produces to keep regulars up to date with details and photographs of its many and varied charity events and functions.
Darren says: "We support our community in many ways; examples are providing rooms free for local groups such as the Young Farmers, WI, local shoots, and art classes.
"We offer prizes for raffles and auctions at local schools and charity events, many of which we do the catering for. We also provide free wi-fi internet access. In return, the community supports us with regular custom and helps at all our charity events."
