Having spent many years working in pubs and clubs, Vicky Griffiths, together with partner Paul Morrish, has now achieved her dream of running her own pub.

The duo took over The Poet and Castle in Codnor, Derbyshire in June 2025 and say that the popular watering hole is the perfect place for them. Vicky describes it as “a warm, welcoming pub with a friendly atmosphere.”

It was whilst she was working at fellow Everards pub The Coach and Horses at Markfield that Vicky started to seriously think about running her own venue.

“I was there quite a while. I kept saying to (Everards Business Relationship Manager) Martin ‘I want my own pub!’ smiles Vicky, who met former printer Paul at The Coach and Horses, where he was a customer.

The couple got together and soon realised that running a pub could be something that they could pursue as a pair.

“Vicky had always had the idea of running her own pub and I’d had enough of printing and needed a change, so I thought I’d give this a go,” says Paul.

“There was a pub that came up in Warwick called The Wild Boar that we liked, but we weren’t successful with that. We were a bit disappointed, but Everards said to us ‘there’s a nice pub over at Codnor, can you come and take a look?’

“We came in and sat down by the fireplace and talked to somebody there, then we moved to the bar area and talked to someone there, then we went in the side room and talked to some more people. We knew then it was the right place.

“We were actually grateful that we didn’t get The Wild Boar. That was a town pub, with a lot of competition.

“This is a real community pub, where people sit down and have a chat. It’s a gathering pub for the locals.”

Since they took over last summer, the couple have made some minor changes, such as installing a new coffee machine and a darts board upstairs in the function room. They’ve also refurbished the toilets and spent money on keeping the spacious garden in tip top condition, including adding a fence.

According to Vicky, The Poet and Castle is popular as a drinking venue, so they have simplified the food offering, with a selection of snacks including cobs and pork pies, as well as hot food such as pizzas and chips available on Thursday for quiz night and at weekends.

“We’ve introduced more live acts as well and we’re planning to get a pool table to bring in more people and keep the locals in when they’re here,” says Vicky.

Talking about his career change, Paul says he is very happy he made the move to the pub industry. “It is involved. It’s a lifestyle rather than a job, but between us we’re doing pretty good.”

“I’m glad we’ve done it. It’s a bit of a cliché, but the pub isn’t really run by us, it’s run by the community and we have a good community, who support us really well,” he continues.

On the subject of working with Everards, Vicky says: “They’re brilliant. We definitely chose the right company to work with.

“At the start, we were looking at pubs with Star and Admiral as well, but when we went to The Wild Boar, Everards were supportive without being pushy and they let us make our own minds up. We were really impressed.”

When it comes to what she enjoys most about running a pub, Vicky says: “It’s the freedom of if we want to do something, we can do it, without having to sell our idea to someone else first.”

“For me, it’s the fact that not one day is the same as the next. Even though we have certain things we have to do, every day is different,” adds Paul.

The duo also enjoy having a bit of free time at the weekends, when the running of the pub is left to their reliable team of staff.

“We work in the week and then we have staff at weekends. From the age of 15, I’ve been working weekends so it’s nice that we can be upstairs. We’re here if we’re needed, but it is nice to be out of the way sometimes,” says Vicky.

Interested in running a pub? Give us a call 0116 201 4260 or get in touch here.