A community-run Pendle pub, which has had royalty visit, is this week’s pub of the week.
The Trawden Arms, in Church Street, Trawden, was saved from closure after residents raised £450,000 in seven weeks in 2021.
Now under the ownership of Jamie Hargreaves, it offers a vast selection of beers and great food, as well as a jam-packed line-up of events.
In April it was even paid a visit by Anne the Princess Royal after the community saved not only the pub but the post office, library and community centre.
Introduce yourself
My name is Jamie Hargreaves and my wife Sam and I have had the lease on the pub since January 2023, so for 22 months now.
Why did you take over the pub?
I have run loads of pubs in the area but I always managed them and I never had a full-time lease. When the pub came up Sam said we should go for it.
I love the trade and have been in it since I was 16, and I have always wanted to own my own business.
How would you describe the pub?
It is a country pub and B&B. We have a great choice of food, a large selection of beers that cater for everybody including non-alcoholic, which we have on draft, to gluten-free lager and ale.
We tend to a live music event every fortnight. We have a quiz night on a Monday evening, and we do offers on food throughout the week, so for instance on Tuesday kids eat for free with any paying adult meal.
On Wednesday, we do a burger a pint or soft drink for £18, Thursday any two main meals for £30, on a Friday we do a fish meal, scampi or fish and chips, two for £26.
We offer weekly specials, and we also do a roast on a Sunday.
What sort of live music events do you put on? Is it local talent or pop bangers?
Mainly local talent, we did a lot of acoustic singers last year.
We kept getting asked can we get some bands in, so we did a bit of an event last year for Manchester Children's Hospital and a local initiative called WeEvolve which helps people with mental health get into sport.
We did a music and beer festival with lots of live bands who played for nothing, and a lot of people asked for more bands.
My main worry was we couldn’t get enough people in the pub, but we have had a couple of bands in since and it is all local talent.
We try to make the specials a bit more upmarket, but we are trying to keep it pub grub with a bit of a gastro feel.
With us, because the pub is owned by the community, with 425 shareholders, that helps us be successful.
Ultimately to me it is getting the food and service right and making sure we have the right team behind us to push and drive sales and keep customers coming back, which I have got.
I love every day, every day is different.
We will have been there two years and starting as a new business just after Covid, I thought it would be hard but in general to say we are doing really well, we are moving forward, we are being successful – that is the best thing that could happen.
This year, we got Pendle pub of the year for CAMRA and got put in the Good Beer Guide for the first time ever and that is probably my proudest moment as it is something I have always wanted to be a part of, and it is something we are looking to continue with.
What is your outside space like?
We have a children’s play area with a slide and a bit of closed off area. We have around 25 tables around the side and front of the building.
We have 14 different keg beers, four cast and one press cider. It is all quite unique and a lot we have on the draft you can’t get locally.
- Bowland Hen Harrier – Gluten free
- Stonewall IPA
- Bowland Pilsner – gluten free
- Birra Moretti Sale di Mare
- Stowford Press Apple Cider
- Jack Pine Lemon Shandy
- Heineken Zero
- Four alternating cask lines which range from local and national breweries.
- Pravha
- Madri
- Capri
- Stowe unfiltered
- Poretti
Describe the pub in one sentence
A great community pub.
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