A HEREFORDSHIRE pub has now fully reopened after several months of partial closure.

After closing its doors in October last year, and only opening occasionally since, the Mortimer Community Benefit Society have announced that the Bell in Yarpole will now be open on a regular basis offering food and drink for locals.

The society said that its priority is to keep the village pub alive and that it will be run using a mixture of volunteers and paid staff for the time being.

Food will now be served by experienced chef, Michael Collis, and will be available on Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons.

The menu on a Friday night will be themed and changed weekly. On Saturdays the Bell team will be running their ‘supper club’ offering a restaurant-style menu but at a pub price. Sunday lunches will be available every week except on the fourth Sunday of the month when they will offer brunch instead.

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Extensive renovations have been carried out in the premises, with the kitchens have been cleaned and repainted, and the interior of the pub refashioned with new sofas, improved lighting and lighting. The heating in the cider barn annexe has also been restored and is now in regular use.

A spokesperson for the Mortimer Community Benefit Society said: “As we continue to find our feet we plan to gradually extend our opening hours.

“With the support of the community, we hope to be able to reverse the sad trend in hospitality of closing pubs and the loss of a valuable community resource.

“The Bell at Yarpole is once again taking its place as the hub of the village.”

The Mortimer Community Benefit Society purchased the Bell for £275,000 in 2018, preventing it from being bulldozed to make space for housing.

A number of tenants have taken up the reins since the pub was saved, including Carole Dare and Sally Milsom in 2019 and Dom Brand and Nick Reed in 2020.

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 his departure was announced on September 20.