Dear Member
We hope you are all making the most of the summer sunshine. At this time of year, it's great to be able to sit outside with friends and enjoy a drink or two in the warm evenings.
At the Foresters Arms, our change of tenant is almost upon us. As Keith and Lesley's tenure comes to an end, we would like to reiterate our thanks to them for their stewardship of the pub during their tenure. lf you have not already done so, there is still time to thank them personally and to wish them well for the future. Although it will be on this side of the bar, they do not intend on being strangers to the Foresters Arms.
We are excited that Diana and Paul are about to take up the reigns and this is a great opportunity for them to introduce themselves.
A few words from Diana & Paul:
Hello everyone, my name is Diana Tudorache, I can say my life has changed for good since I have been adopted to Yorkshire for over now7 years running the Holly Hill in Richmond. I have worked in hospitality for over 1S years, but l've never felt more welcome and "more at home" since I moved to Yorkshire. I'm proud to say that I can make Romanian Yorkshire puddings, different to normal Yorkshire puddings you ask? Probably not, just better! I met Paul whilst working at the Holly Hill lnn, me pulling pints and him drinking them, but where can you find a good honest man if not in the pub?
After leaving the Holly Hill and the "big, little family" I had there I went into tree work, not as a tree surgeon but more like a 'LumberJack" (lifting kegs all these years helped). Paul and I were always toying with the idea of running our own pub one day and thankfully the path has led us to the Foresters Arms. We would like to introduce ourselves in the best possible way, but hopefully our actions speak louder than words. We can't wait to meet you all and make The Foresters Arms a thriving community pub.
Keith and Lesley, who ran the pub for the last 7 years, through some challenging times during the pandemic, are well respected. Hopefully we can mirror their commitment and hard work for the next 5 years and beyond.
Hi, my name is Paul Whltehead, l was born in Leeds and have spent the last 7 years living in Richmond North Yorkshire. I have just finished serving 30 years in the British Army in various roles and hope to transfer my professional standards into hospitality. I met Diana when she was the manager of the Holly Hill lnn in Richmond. After living on the premises and helping out where possible I was immediately hooked. With Diana's extensive experience and my enthusiasm, we thought it would be good to run our own place one day! When the tenancy for the Foresters Arms came up we thought to ourselves "This is it" this is the place where we can make a fresh start in the beautiful surroundings of Coverdale.
I have always admired community owned pubs and do hope we can do the pub justice and make it a great suceess for the community and tourists, but also for ourselves. We look forward to meeting you all and providing a warm welcome!
A smooth transition:
The formal handover to Diana and Paul, will happen in the final week of July and to ensure a smooth transition the Foresters will close for just a few days. Thanks in advance for your patience. By closing briefly, this allows Diana and Paul to move in, stock up and get ready for opening. Of course, when they open, there will be a range of food and drink but initially the menu will be modest and build up over time. With our collective support, Diana and Paul will soon be up to speed.
IN OTHER NEWS:
Board matters:
We would like to share a couple of updates about the board. Firstly, Stephen Lambert has recently been co-opted as a CCP Director. Many of you know Steve as a longstanding member of the Coverdale Community - "A Coverdale Lad"" He has long been a patron, and supporter of the pub and a shareholder since the Foresters Arms became community owned. His insights and business experience, as well as his knowledge of the local community bring invaluable perspectives to the work of the CCP.
Steve has been co-opted to replace Philip Smith when, earlier this year, Philip decided to stand down as a Director. We would like to extend our thanks to Philip for his contribution particularly his valuable finance experience. ln accordance with the CCP rules, Steve's status as a Director will be put to a shareholder vote at our next AGM.
ln other board news we also want to thank Kimberley Brereton for her contributions in recent months. Many of you know Kimberley, who along with her husband Allan, were the original tenants of our community owned pub. During this lease process, Kimberley's unique experience, not just in the Foresters Arms, but of the hospitality and pub trade more widely throughout her career, has been a great resource for the board to take advantage of. Save the date: A key date for the diary. We are planning this year's AGM to take place on Wednesdav 5th October. Please save the date and as usual, we will share agenda and related materials nearer the time.
We hope to see everyone in the Foresters in the near future, either raising a glass of thanks to Keith and Lesley or offering a warm, Coverdale welcome to Diana and Paul.
lf you have changed postal address, email address or telephone number please inform John Watson our membership secretary, his contact details are below.
Coverdale Community Pub
C/O John Watson, Membership Secretary
Fell View, West Scrafton,
Leyburn
North Yorkshire
DL8 4RU
Tel: 01969 640241
Email : This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.