Herefordshire pub set for new lease of life after REG
A HEREFORDSHIRE pub labelled ‘the greenest in England’ is set for a new lease of life after being closed for five years.
The Kilpeck Inn, formerly known as the Red Lion, closed in 2005 when the previous owners sought to turn it into residential accommodation.
However, locals in the Herefordshire village of Kilpeck campaigned for it to reopen which it has, after receiving a £43,000 Rural Enterprise Grant (REG).
In 2008, the pub was bought by Neil Kerr, who worked in the licensed trade for more than 20 years and who had decided to run the pub himself with help from a manager.
He has used the REG to help with the pub’s renovation. Work has included fitting out the bar, kitchen, restaurant and garden plus new signage.
The pub features the latest energy-saving devices such as solar heating, rainwater recovery, wood burning boiler and eco-stoves and low-energy lighting, fridges and dishwashers making it what Mr Kerr believes to be the greenest pub in the country.
He said: “Pubs are closing down at an alarming rate at the moment for a variety of reasons and I know the industry well enough to realise only the very best will survive.
“We’ve changed the focus of the pub from how it was previously. While we still serve the community, we have added food and accommodation as we try to capitalise on the tourism market, especially for walkers on the Herefordshire Trail.
“We have created 12 new full and part-time jobs as a result of the pub reopening and business is going exceptionally well.”
Funded under the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) which is managed by Advantage West Midlands and administered by Herefordshire Council, Rural Enterprise Grants are available for farmers and micro businesses developing and diversifying into food and drink, environmental technologies and tourism improvements.
Funding of up to 40% (or £62,500) can be secured towards projects that range from new processing machinery and supply chain equipment and improvements to tourism experiences.
Dorothy Coleman, Rural Enterprise Grant programme manager, said: “We’re delighted that the Kilpeck Inn is doing so well since it reopened.
“Not only is it providing an important community focal point and bringing trade into the village, but the environmental aspects of the refurbishment are a standard other new pubs should be following.
“This is exactly the sort of business the Rural Enterprise Grants exist to support.”
