Yorkshire-based independent pubco buys 46th pub

Yorkshire-based independent pub company White Rose Inns has bought its 46th pub - the Bell Inn in Wilsden, Bradford.

Formed in 1992 by managing director Tim Drake and fellow directors Joanna and Dave Roberts, White Rose Inns operates in the heart of Yorkshire. The company also runs the award-winning Barge and Barrel Brewery, which is housed next to the pub of the same name in Elland, near Huddersfield, and supplies a range of cask beers to White Rose pubs.

"Our aim is to remain small and totally independent," said Mr Drake. "We like to grow our pub estate by keeping our ear to the ground and working through local contacts - which is exactly what we did when it came to buying the Bell Inn.

"The three-roomed pub, which is in the heart of the village of Wilsden, is a locals' wet-driven pub with high standards of hospitality which perfectly complements the rest of our pub estate."

The new licensees of the pub, Carole and David Greenwood, have got a special reason for looking forward to taking on the pub.

"The Bell Inn is the place where David and I first met eight years ago," said Mrs Greenwood. "That first drink led to marriage and a new career for both of us in the licensed trade so it seems very appropriate that we are returning to run a pub that means so much to us - particularly at Christmas time."

Pictured l-r: White Rose director Joanna Roberts, David and Carole Greenwood​