Friends invest £80k to reopen local pub

By Stuart Stone

- Last updated on GMT

Whip-round: four friends have kept their local pub open after investing a collective £80,000
Whip-round: four friends have kept their local pub open after investing a collective £80,000
Four friends have invested £80,000 between them to reopen the Travellers Rest in Tickhill near Doncaster, South Yorkshire.

Amanda Needham, David Brookes, David Jones and Steve Jackson invested a collective sum of £80,000 to purchase the Hawthorn Leisure-owned site, with the pub company matching the foursome’s investment to refurbish the site.

The pub, which had been run as a tapas bar before closing in March 2017, will reopen with an extended bar, extra toilets, a new-look lounge with sofas, redecorated taproom, new signage, and an area serving cocktails that will be run by Needham’s daughter Olivia.

Moreover, six screens will show Sky Sports and BT Sport, while a pool table, darts board and board games will provide additional entertainment.

New life

Needham, who will run the Travellers Rest with help from a team of local staff commented: “We all used to drink there, and when the opportunity arose to take it on, we decided we’d get together and invest in it, and give it back to the local community as a traditional village pub.

“And, of course, it means that we now have somewhere to have a drink and watch football.

She added: “We’ve breathed new life into the place, and people in the village have been very excited about the fact the pub was to reopen.

“We’ve given it back to the local community, while at the same time welcoming people from neighbouring villages, too.”

Grasped the chance

Hawthorn Leisure chief executive Gerry Carroll commented: “At a time when dozens of pubs are said to close every week, in some communities there clearly remains a need for a place where locals can get together, and Amanda and her three friends have grasped the chance to, essentially, take on and run the Travellers Rest for Tickhill.

“Hawthorn Leisure will always support people who want to invest in and revitalise community pubs, and we were only too delighted to match the money put in by Amanda, Steve and the two Davids. We’ll now use our experience to help them and their team run a successful, sustainable business.”

To find out more about pubs for sale, lease and tenancy visit our property site​.

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