Couple plan to travel the UK after 27 years at the bar

04-Dec-2023 - Last updated on 04-Dec-2023 at 17:02 GMT

Cherished memories: Punch pub licensees Morag and Joe Mozer are quitting the on-trade after 27 years at the Crown

A couple that has spent 27 years at the helm of a North Yorkshire pub and raised more than £100,000 for charity are quitting to travel the UK and spend time with friends.

Joe and Morag Mozer, publicans of the Crown in Richmond, have hung up their tankards to step away from the pub after more than a quarter of a century behind the bar.

On 27 November 1996, Joe and Morag stepped into the Richmond pub, which was their third time running a pub and have now reached retirement, ending their tenure on 27 November 2023.

The pair plan to travel the UK and spend much-needed quality time with their family and loved ones.

Take some time out

“Having been in the pub for so long, we’ve not had the chance to holiday or see much of the country, so we wanted to take some time out to travel and be with our loved ones,” said Morag.

“Some of our best memories were at the Crown. I considered our pub as the hub of the community. It’s a lovely village and we served many fantastic locals too – some of whom had supported us since the very beginning.

“But it was time for a change and we’re both excited to be sat the other side of the bar.”

The Mozers have been avid fundraisers for their local community and national charities, boosting charity coffers by more than £100,000 during the past three decades.

Every August, the passionate publicans held their charity Fun Day and donated much-needed funds to various charities including the British Heart Foundation, MacMillan, Help the Heroes and local hospices such as St Theresa’s.

Memories to cherish

“Meeting people is what we love most,” said Morag. “That’s what has kept us in the industry for so long. We love people, we enjoy ourselves in the pub and we love a good party too.

“We could never walk away from the village, this is our home, and we’ve got memories that we will cherish forever here, we couldn’t possibly count them on one hand.

“The Millennium was amazing, there were 120 of us celebrating, we’ve witnessed weddings, thrown countless parties and we’ve been a part of people’s lives and milestones – we wouldn’t change that for the world.”

With the same enthusiasm in 2023, as they had in 1997, their advice to anyone looking to run their own pub is simple: “Look after your locals because if you look after them then they will look after you.”