Hopes that popular village pub could reopen

There are hopes a Shropshire village pub, which closed suddenly last month, could reopen with new landlords.

The Haughmond in Upton Magna announced it was shutting its doors on 25 May due to "economic pressures" affecting the hospitality industry, which "made it impossible for us to continue trading".

Gareth Thomas, chairman of Upton Magna Parish Council, said it had been "a bit of a shock" and that the village had "a community that really wants the pub back open".

In the last few days, he said he had been told new landlords had been found to reopen the pub and he hoped the village would give them their "full support".

He said he hoped there would be concrete news by the time the parish council meets next Thursday.

Thomas said: "We've got to respect that it's such a challenge to run any hospitality venue. Anybody who has the guts to come and take on a large pub, we have to give them full respect."

When the pub closed, it released a statement on Facebook which said: "This decision has not been made lightly, but the last few years have brought enormous challenges."

Thomas said people in the village "totally understand the economic pressures on hospitality right now", but said it was "a very popular community pub".

As well as being a place to drink, he said it was a local meeting spot and was well used by passing cyclists.

"There's a really strong community spirit and we want to get that pub reopened," he said.

Speaking about the hope that new landlords could be in place soon, he said: "I've got my fingers crossed at the moment.

The BBC has approached the owners of the Haughmond for comment.

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