A FORMER Barclays bank manager is just one of the individuals responsible for the resurgence in the pub industry in Herefordshire over the past 12 months.

Robert Gordon Bennett used to work at the branch in Hereford and took redundancy enabling him to take on a completely new venture. In September last year he took on the previously known Watercress Harrys, which closed in January 2015, re-opening it after a refurbishment as Gordon Bennetts.

According to the Campaign For Real Ale (CAMRA), there are now more pubs in Herefordshire today than there were 12 months ago – bucking a steady decline over recent years.

Mark Haslam, CAMRA’s West Midlands regional public affairs officer, said: “In the past 12 months we have seen an increase of three per cent in new pubs opening in Herefordshire. We finished the year with three per cent more than we started. It is all going the right way.”

He said some of the pubs were completely new and others were closed – some for a number of years – and had re-opened under new management.

“There is no real pattern. Some are in the country, some are on the side of the road, some are in villages and some are in towns. There are some entirely new venues in the towns. Some are small and some are big.

“Some of them are completely new and some pubs had long closed and we are seeing them coming back. It has really turned round in the area over the past 12 months and we are not completely sure what is causing it.

“There were shoots of recovery before this but they have been coming at one a month this year. Every time we thought we’d had a bit of a spurt, they kept coming.

“We have had a pub that has been closed for years and it has come back to life and it is doing really well.”

Mr Haslam said many of the people taking on these new ventures are young and “switched on”. “Historically young people would have been disappearing off to London for work but some are coming or staying in Herefordshire to set up small businesses because the rents are too high in London.”

He said others were older people and they sometimes moved from different parts of the country. “Running a pub is a lifestyle and not a job. Some people could earn a lot more money in a different field but they are choosing to do this.”

He added that one of the new landlords used to be a builder and had never run a pub in his life before.

“I think communities are recognising the value of their local pub and some of the younger people are trying to do more and different things like events. They also realise they have got to do marketing.

“The offer has got to be varied. There are a lot of different things you can stock now. There are lots of different breweries and lots of different cask and bottled beers and ciders. They can even sell local foods like special cheeses.

“A lot of pubs have closed over recent years but what I would like to think is that what we have left is quality and fit for purpose rather than volume.”