West Country

Old Inn

St Breward, Cornwall

Darren Wills has always lived in St Breward and has witnessed "good and bad landlords" running the Old Inn. Darren started working as a barman at the freehouse in May 1999. He recalls: "It was in a dilapidated state, but I knew there was so much potential. All that was needed was to tidy up the place, give it a clean and a lick of paint, and all the locals would come back."

Over the years and under Darren's leadership, the inn has been steadily transformed by adding a function room with a capacity for 120 people and revamping the kitchen to cater for the freehouse's growing reputation for food.

Community get-togethers

In March 2006, he jumped at the chance of purchasing the inn when the previous owner called time. Since then, 29-year-old Darren has further strengthened the 11th-century pub's links with the community. It is used for meetings by various youth clubs and sponsors the local ladies football team together with male and female darts team. It also gets involved in all of the village events such as the annual carnival, bonfire night and Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations. And as you would expect, fundraising events form a vital part of the pub's itinerary. Darren comments: "Last June, we raised over £4,000 in one night for breast cancer. The place was packed wall to wall with over 300 people - it was one of the most successful village get-togethers in the past 10 years."

Intrinsically linked

The Old Inn employs around 25 staff in the off-season, rising to 30 plus during holiday periods, and is therefore one of the biggest employers in St Breward, which has a population of 2,000. Darren remarks: "As such, we are intrinsically linked with many families in the village. Therefore we will always try to support and help any local organisation or person. The Old Inn is part of the fabric of life on Bodmin Moor, and locals see it as more than just a place to socialise."