New tenants have taken over a popular village pub which shut its doors six months ago. Leanne Swayne, 39, and Mark Swayne, 47, from Barry, are the new managers of The Sportsmans Rest and look forward to the “challenge” of restoring the pub to its former glory.
The previous landlords of The Sportsmans Rest in Peterston-super-Ely in the Vale of Glamorgan retired in November 2022 after 18 years of running the pub due to the escalating energy bills and overheads. The pub had survived the pandemic but also frequently fell victim to flooding. In late 2019 and early 2020, The Sportsman Rest found itself flooded three times in quick succession after heavy rains caused the River Ely to burst its banks. However, locals responded by lending a hand to mop up the mess and get the business open again.
Now the new tenants have reopened the doors of The Sportsmans Rest and hope to make it a well-loved destination within the community once again. The pub officially reopened on Wednesday, May 24, and had a busy bank holiday weekend. Leanne said: "No one thought it was going to open back up and then we got the chance to do it. A lot of people have started to come back - but it would be nice to spread the news. It’s still going to be a pub but with a lot more meals on the menu - a new one is coming out this week. We have a massive garden in the back and we’ll have a load of garden games for the children to play with. It’s a huge area, it’s nice and quiet, peaceful, and gets lovely sunshine on the decking.”
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The Sportsmans Rest will serve a variety of light bites, pub classics, curries, chillis, seafood, steaks and homemade desserts. The pub is also horse and dog friendly.
Leanne added that they hope to bring more entertainment to the venue and activities for the children in the area. She said: ”We’re thinking about doing a barbecue on the bank holiday in August - with a bouncy castle and face paint - just something to bring all the community back together again.”
The Sportsmans Rest is open seven days a week, with the kitchen open between 12pm-8pm Monday to Saturday and between 12pm-6pm on Sundays.
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