Why the Bell at Yarpole pub, Herefordshire, is closed

The Bell in Yarpole has shut its doors for the time being, the Mortimer Community Benefit Society Management Committee confirmed, stating that health and personal reasons were behind the closure. 

The Mortimer Community Benefit Society was founded in May 2018 to purchase the Bell at Yarpole for £275,000, preventing it from being bulldozed to make space for housing.

The pub then had a number of tenants including Carole Dare and Sally Milsom in 2019 and Dom Brand and Nick Reed in 2020.

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A loss of kitchen staff and the effect of national lockdowns forced the pub to close temporarily in 2021.

For a number of months, the Bell was maintained by volunteers and members of the community, who would open the pub for various events and occasions until a new tenant could be found.

The most recent tenant, Iain Dixon, took over the pub in June 2022 after significant refurbishment work was done, and operated as both tenant and head chef until the closure was announced on September 27.