Dear all,
In March we shared the news about our new tenancy, and I’m very pleased to say that the response from shareholders, volunteers and members of the community has been overwhelmingly positive. Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to get in touch and share your thoughts. We know that change can naturally raise questions and concerns, so following further conversations with our new tenants, Eileen Nicklin and Michael Parffrey, I wanted to take this opportunity to offer some additional detail and reassurance.

Some of you have understandably asked what the new tenancy arrangement means in terms of ownership. I’d like to reassure you that, while we have adopted a new business model, all our assets – including the building, fixtures and fittings – remain firmly owned by the community. This was not a decision we took lightly. We know how central the pub is to village life and protecting its long-term future has always been our priority. After taking specialist advice from a hospitality professional, we appointed the law firm Everys to draw up a legal agreement that clearly reflects our Vision and Values. Most importantly, we are confident that Eileen and Michael understand, respect and share those values.

I also recognise that many of you care deeply about our much-loved community nights – including the quiz, community suppers, music and folk nights, and of course the
ukulele group. I’m delighted to confirm that Mondays and Tuesdays will remain dedicated community nights. Eileen and Michael are very keen to hear from anyone
who would like to volunteer to help keep these activities going. They will be moving into the flat on Friday 17 April and will be very happy to meet volunteers from that date. 

Regarding Walt’s Café, it will not continue in its current format. However, the pub will be open from 11am, Wednesday to Friday, serving coffee and light refreshments. We very much hope that the community groups currently using Walt’s will be able to find a new and welcoming home within these arrangements. The only other change to our current opening times is on Sundays. We’re pleased to say that Eileen and Michael will keep the pub open all afternoon, with Sunday lunches served until later in the day. The pub will then remain open with volunteers behind the bar until 8.30pm. Eileen will liaise with anyone who would like to volunteer behind the bar on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday evenings. All other days will continue to be supported by paid staff.

Since we opened as a community pub in 2022, many new people have moved to the village, and I know that many of you are now both customers and volunteers. I truly
believe the pub has played a vital role in helping people feel connected and part of the community. That sense of belonging is something we deeply value and want to protect. To help us protect everything that makes our pub special, we now need the active support of our community. After four years of trading, there is a backlog of essential repairs and maintenance that must be addressed before Eileen and Michael fully join us. We are aiming to raise £20,000 to fund this work and provide some much-needed cashflow support during this transition.

If you are able to help — whether by becoming a shareholder, buying additional shares, making a donation, or offering the pub a loan — your support would make a
real and immediate difference. Every contribution, large or small, helps secure the long-term future of our community pub. If you’d like to get involved or find out more,
please contact [email protected]. We would love to hear from you.

Finally, I’d like to update you on the transition timeline. Friday 24 April will be the final day of Walt’s Café, so please do come along and enjoy it while you can. On the evening of Sunday 26 April, we’ll be holding a volunteers’ event with a complimentary buffet (sadly, not free drinks!). Monday 27 April will see the usual community supper, and Tuesday 28 April will run as normal. We will then close on Wednesday and Thursday to get everything ship-shape and Bristol fashion. We’re very much looking forward to Friday 1 May, which will be the opening night for Michael and Eileen, with live music and a complimentary hog roast for all.

There are many ways to support the pub, not just financially. Volunteering your time, spreading the word to friends and neighbours, or simply coming along to events all play a vital role. However you choose to help, please know that your involvement truly matters and is deeply appreciated. Together, we can make sure our pub remains a
welcoming, lively and much-loved part of village life for years to come.
With warmest regards,
Mark Rice
Chair, SWR

It’s been such a busy year at the Sir Walter Raleigh with so much going on it has been impossible to keep up! As well as our popular regular events – the Community Supper, the charity Quiz nights, ukulele Tuesdays, live music nights and more – we’ve had a stream of other exciting and well attended events scheduled into the calendar. Most of them involving great live music, fabulous food and usually both!
To summarise some of the pub’s recent efforts and successes

• We are very proud to have won GOLD in ‘Taste of the West – South West England’ which recognises “outstanding quality, flavour and authenticity in food and drink products or hospitality businesses”. 
• We then won GOLD in the ‘Food Drink Devon Awards’ in their ‘Hospitality Pub’ category – two great achievements in recognition of all we do!
• Our beautiful, renovated, sunny courtyard proved very popular in the wonderful weather we enjoyed this summer!
• A great Cider Festival in July with 10 wonderful local ciders. With live music from Peter Buxton and then blues trio - Ian Briggs, Adam Sweet & Ian Jennings it proved a huge success.
• Our October Beer Festival! What can we say? This has become quite an event for the pub with people supporting it from far and wide enjoying the beer, the atmosphere, food and live music from Pete Burns and Jake Yarwood.  Many Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) members turned up and seemed to enjoy the whole festival hugely. With 20 fabulous local Westcountry beers for sale and lots of great festival food served up by Dan and Amber it has been one of the great highlights of our year;
• Happy Hour in our quietest months continues to bring in lots of appreciative visitors as well as locals;
• It is widely reported that the number of pubs closing their doors permanently has hit more than one a day. In the first half of 2025, 209 pubs in England and Wales called time forever – that’s eight a week! In all, 2,283 pubs have vanished from communities across Britain since the start of 2020 – either demolished or converted to other uses. But we are still here!  Our recent AGM summarised that our wonderful pub is holding its own and, thanks to hard working staff, volunteers and the steering and hard graft of its committee members is bucking the worrying national trend. A few fun facts from the meeting - since the start of our financial year (April 2025) we’ve sold 4152 pints of Gun Dog, 2186 pints of Korev, 760 pints of IPA, 865 glasses of Pinot Grigio, 1632 bags of crisps, 801 portions of fish and chips and 731 roast dinners. Lots of happy customers!

Now Christmas is around the corner, Dan and Amber have created a great value but creative, festive menu with a good mix of pub classics and specials and we’re pleased to announce our opening hours over the festive season supported by an army of wonderful volunteers! Thank you to everyone who is stepping in and making these opening hours possible – your hard work and support for our wonderful pub is appreciated. Happy Christmas to everyone from the Sir Walter Raleigh!

Winter is a particularly tough time for the hospitality sector but even so February and March were good months for the Sir Walter Raleigh with lots of regular activities being enjoyed by locals and visitors alike. We had a delicious and creative menu being offered, with both specials and pub classics to enjoy. There were the monthly Live Music sessions, regular Folk Music and Ukulele evenings, pizza in the pub bought from the wonderful local business 'The Wandering Pig' every Tuesday and of course the monthly Quiz Night which continues to raise important funds for selected local charities. Our monthly 'Community Supper' continues to be packed with people from the village coming together to enjoy a meal and each other's company. And as well as all that we hosted some extra special events including a stunning evening of music from Kitty Stewart with Rohan Black (see photo) on the Uke & Bass - fabulous Folk-Pop infused RnB, an atmospheric Valentine's evening, a cheery St Patrick's Night, and as always a packed out Mother's Day Sunday roast with a free glass of prosecco for lots of special mums. It is so great to see such a mix of people enjoying our pub for so many different reasons! We now look forward to Spring and the Easter holidays ahead. 

January has been surprisingly busy in the pub after what was an amazing December! We have welcomed locals and visitors alike and have enjoyed some enthusiastic support and feedback. To quote two 5* Google reviews from January “Great Traditional English Pub. Really good atmosphere. Great staff, Thank You.”  and “Excellent food. Lovely service. Great with the dog. J”
 
We’ve continued our regular popular events – Sunday roasts – always in demand, the Big Quiz (which this month raised £267 for the Ukraine Freedom Company), Tuesdays ukulele nights, a Folk music evening and perhaps the highlight of January our Burns Night, a fully booked evening and massive success with everyone with Scottish connections (or not) enjoying a great atmosphere and inspired menu. The super-popular monthly ‘Community Supper’ was again absolutely packed out with people from the village enjoying the company of friends, a really warm atmosphere and delicious two course meal prepared and cooked kindly by local resident Angus who runs Greenfingers Garden Centre Café in Exmouth and who volunteered to take on the challenge to cater for 70 diners (at no charge) with a team of volunteers who helped make the evening run smoothly!

For January, a traditionally quiet month in the catering industry calendar, it was a good month and we had the time, space and funds to refurbish our customer toilets too!
 
So, goodbye to January and welcome February where we have more planned with another special 2 or 3 course special menu over the month which is looking very appealing. We also have a romantic Valentine’s Evening dinner planned with bookings coming in fast so book your table soon - and we are reintroducing our popular ‘Happy Hour’ 5.30-6.30pm Wednesday to Friday on selected popular drinks including this time the popular real ale Gun Dog. With all this and half term to look forward to we think it will prove to be a busy month. We're now recruiting for a friendly, enthusiastic Front of House Assistant to join our team. If you're interested, or know of someone who might be, please do contact us for more information.

​December at the Sir Walter Raleigh Pub was truly a special time, and we loved seeing the pub come alive with festive cheer. Our team embraced the holiday spirit by introducing a delicious Festive Christmas menu, which featured roast turkey, as well as our pub classics such as fish and chips, and succulent pork belly. It was wonderful to see so many guests enjoying our seasonal dishes, and it felt great to be part of creating such a warm and memorable dining experience.
 
The pub looked absolutely beautiful with its Christmas decorations, making it the perfect spot to relax and soak up the festive atmosphere. As a traditional thatched community village pub, we’ve always prided ourselves on being a place where locals and visitors alike can come together - and December was no exception.
 
We kicked off the festivities with the pupils of East Budleigh’s Drake’s School, who joined forces with The Budleigh Male Choir for an evening of beautiful Christmas carols. Hearing their voices fill the pub was truly heartwarming—it was the perfect way to get into the festive spirit.
 
The live music didn’t stop there. We had the incredible Peter Burns with his energetic Rock ‘n Soul performance that had everyone tapping their feet and singing along. Later in the month, we were thrilled to welcome Briggs, Sweet & Jennings, who brought an unforgettable evening of music to the pub as part of their journey between The Albert Hall and New Orleans. Having musicians of their calibre perform here was a real treat for everyone who came along.
 
Another highlight of the month was continuing our Budleigh Uke sessions. These free gatherings brought ukulele enthusiasts of all skill levels into the pub, filling the room with music and laughter. Watching people bond over their shared love of music was wonderful.
 
We also kept things cosy at Walt’s Café, running on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday mornings. Serving up a full coffee menu, bacon rolls, and home-baked cakes, it’s the perfect spot for morning catch-ups or a quiet moment with a hot drink.
 
Looking back, December felt magical. Whether it was through our festive menu, the music, or the welcoming ambiance, it was amazing to see neighbours, friends, and visitors coming together to enjoy everything we love about this pub. It’s a privilege to be part of creating such a vibrant and friendly community hub, especially during the holidays!

November has been a precious, quieter month whilst time is taken to review and plan. We are organising ourselves ready for a busy festive period in the pub with Christmas plans well under way and a delicious and carefully thought through December pub food menu, including some tasty light lunch options, created by Dan our chef and Amber, sous chef.

Meanwhile back by popular demand the Murder Mystery night was a massive, sell-out success with the Moonstone Theatre Company entertaining and a delicious three course meal served up for guests to enjoy. The pub was packed and the evening great fun.  

Our free live music events continue to thrive with the monthly Live Music event run by Paul Painter and Tuesday’s Ukulele group both getting busier - welcome additions to what used to be quieter Monday and Tuesday evenings! November Happy Hour has also livened up a quieter month! 
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This month’s Jim's Quiz Night raised £280 for the Royal British Legion Budleigh branch. Jim calculated that funds raised from the Sir Walter Raleigh Pub Quiz nights  since their start have now exceeded £7,000!

And finally this month for ale lovers we’re delighted to say that we’ve listened to feedback and managed to secure a new supply of Dartmoor Brewery’s popular Jail Ale!

This month the pub was also very proud to feature in Devon Life magazine – a super four page article by journalist Fran McElhone entitled ‘Saving Sir Walter’ detailed our East Devon pub’s journey and successes since it was purchased by the community, in a difficult environment of declining pub numbers. 
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The charity fundraising from Jim’s Big Quiz raised a great £266 for FORCE the superb charity supporting those locally with cancer.   

It has been a very busy and successful summer in the Sir Walter Raleigh pub and great to see how much our wonderful, refurbished outdoor space has been enjoyed over the warmer months! It makes for an attractive, relaxing seating area when the weather’s nice, perfect for those enjoying the outdoors (image).
 
September also saw the pub hosting a number of successful events including our regular well attended Live Music night and a much enjoyed evening with the ‘Shanty Men’ “the original buoy band” of Exmouth performing live music to a great crowd. 
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As ever Jim’s Big Quiz was a huge success, this month with £177 raised for Exeter Leukaemia Fund! This makes a total, to date, of £6,500 has been raised for various charities since the pub quiz started! A huge thank you to Jim and everyone who turns up to enjoy the evenings.