Warwickshire pub re-opens following Growth Hub support

A Warwickshire village pub which was closed during the pandemic has re-opened thanks to a major investment and a grant from Stratford-on-Avon District Council.

The Lost Pug has become the sixth pub to join the dog-friendly Warwickshire-based bar and restaurant group which includes The Lazy Pug, The Royal Pug, The Fat Pug, The Micro Pug and The Black Pug.

Directors Matt and Alex Crowther took over the venue in January and have transformed the premises in Northend following a £50,000 refurbishment funded by the bar and restaurant group, and a £50,000 grant from the government’s Rural England Prosperity Fund via Stratford-on-Avon District Council, after they were advised to apply for the funding by Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub.

A two-bedroom flat has been created above the pub which has been completely re-wired, re-decorated, and had CCTV and a fire system installed, while a commercial kitchen – four times the size of the original – is currently being fitted.

Planning permission has also been secured to create a 60-seat dining room with a glass wall to provide panoramic views of the countryside.

Seven jobs have already been created and another ten will follow when the dining room is completed, which is expected to be early in 2025.

Matt said the support from the local community, Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub, and Stratford-on-Avon District Council had been instrumental in opening The Lost Pug.

“The villagers have been incredibly supportive of our venture. We had to do quite a few repairs when we took it over since a few of the ceilings had fallen through,” he said.

“We are currently open but only selling drinks, so we have been utilising our catering trailers on site which we take to events and festivals. We have been calling it Food Truck Fridays and we’re providing different food each week.

“The kitchen is almost ready – we need to add the equipment and extraction units – and we’re planning for this to be open before Christmas.

“We have permission for a 60-seater restaurant so we need to get on and build that once the kitchen is complete.”

Matt had initially contacted Nina Bale at the Growth Hub for support and, as well as putting him in touch with Stratford-on-Avon District Council, she arranged for a Warwickshire Business Energy Advice Service Energy Audit to be carried out.

“The Growth Hub is there to help businesses who are busy or not aware of the support that is available, so that we don’t miss funding opportunities like this,” he added.

Nina Bale, account manager at Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub, said the hospitality industry has suffered a real blow during and since Covid, and it is fantastic that a pub in a rural location has been brought back to life.

“I had several conversations with Matt and the most productive was about the grant funding that was available from Stratford-on-Avon District Council,” she said.

“Matt thought he was unlikely to get funding but I encouraged him to apply because the forms were quite straight-forward and I thought he stood a good chance because he met all the criteria.

“This is a fantastic example of how the Growth Hub can help businesses throughout our area in a variety of sectors and locations.”

Cllr George Cowcher, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Economic Development at Stratford-on-Avon District Council, said they had received a total of circa £1million for the last two years from the Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) to distribute to new and existing small and micro rural businesses to develop new products and facilities that benefit the local economy.

He said: “We are delighted that the funding we provided to The Lost Pug has been invested in the fit-out of its commercial kitchen to enable the business to diversify its offer and re-establish the pub in the community.

“The amount of the grant and the investment by the business is significant, which highlights that the government funding is leveraging private sector investment.

“It is great that The Lost Pug is employing local people from the village and that it will become a real hub in the community.”

Caption: From the left, Matt Crowther (The Lost Pug), Nina Bale (Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub) and Mark Wathen (Stratford-on-Avon District Council)