News
Horse and Jockey, Northwood
The Horse and Jockey at Northwood near Wem reopened on the 20th December under community ownership after being closed for over a year.
The community team have worked extremely hard to get the pub to this stage, and need everyone’s support now that the pub is open, so please call in and have a pint if you are in the area.
The Journey Towards Community Ownership
The Shrewsbury and West Shropshire CAMRA branch were able to give assistance right at the start of the process by advising on the ACV (Asset of Community Value) application. We have a lot of experience in dealing with these applications, and the Horse and Jockey community group confirmed that they found our advice very helpful. For anyone else in western Shropshire wanting some help with ACV’s, please contact one of our Pub Preservation officers using the email address pubs@saws.camra.org.uk.
Below, there is a summary of the journey that the community in Northwood has been on to protect the pub, purchase it and get it up and running again.
Funding
After successfully applying for an ACV, the next and most difficult step was to raise enough funds to buy the pub and place it under community ownership.
Fundraising events were held at regular intervals, including quiz nights and tractor runs, and share packages were available to buy from between £200 and £100,000.
In the end, around £200,000 was raised from the local community, which then triggered the release of a Government grant of around £240,000.
The owners of the pub accepted an offer in July 2023, and the sale finally went through in November.
Opening
With only a few weeks to try and get the pub open for the Christmas period, the cellar was quickly renovated. The rest of the pub just had a thorough clean, as there was no time to do any further alterations or redecorating.
The first couple of weeks of being open entailed using 7-day temporary licenses with 2 days of mandatory closure between, as the full premises license had not been approved. This has now gone through, so the pub is now fully open.
Real Ale
There are three handpulls, which are currently providing two or three Salopian ales at any one time. At the moment these are Shropshire Gold, Darwin’s Origin and Golden Thread.
The aim is to use local breweries so that the miles that casks have to travel are kept to a minimum, and is therefore more ecologically friendly. Also, money is kept within the local economy.
Food
There is no food available at present, as the kitchen is currently being refurbished. However, it is hoped that food will be available at the start of February once the kitchen is finished.
Just like with the cask ale, good quality ingredients are going to be sourced from local suppliers. They are hoping to serve affordable and wholesome food.
Future Plans
There are plans to redecorate in the near future, and also to refresh the paint on the outside.
The large front room opposite the bar may be treated to some interior design work, and there may be some minor alterations to the layout of the pub, such as repositioning the door to the toilets.
The next major project is to create a beer garden at the rear of the car park in time for the summer.
More Information
For the latest news and events at the Horse and Jockey, the best place to look is their Facebook group: Horse and Jockey Community Pub. They also have a website which is at www.horseandjockeynorthwood.co.uk.