The Longe Arms in Spixworth on the outskirts of Norwich was on the verge of closing down when no interest for taking over the lease that runs out later this year.
Then at the eleventh hour two villagers came to the pubs rescue in the form of Dave Whiting and Eric Donnelly. “We felt the pub was far too valuable to the village to just let it die.”
Bob Field the Regional Manager for The Longe Arms pub “This pub has lots of potential; all it needs is serious commitment and TLC. So I was more than happy to meet with Dave and Eric to discuss their ideas and how we can work together.”
Dave, a 52 year old telecom operations director, lives on the same road as The Longe Arms “Things escalated really quickly from the initial ‘we have to do something’ to looking at it as a serious business proposition. Then suddenly there we were talking with Enterprise Inns! I have to say that Enterprise Inns have been excellent in supporting us and helping to formulate a working solution.”
The two men, now the toast of the community, are really getting stuck into their project. The first step is a major refurbishment. “The pub has been closed since the 1st of August and will reopen on the 27th August and then officially on with celebration night of entertainment and a buffet on Saturday 28th August.”