It's no wonder new business owner Lee Butcher was captivated by The Wheatsheaf at Dallington. Situated across the road from the village Church, this stone built, thatched pub dates back to the 18th Century and oozes rural charm.

Now, Lee is looking forward to building on the pub's already popular offering and enhancing this community asset. Northamptonshire resident Lee was already familiar with The Wheatsheaf, but as he explains, this is the first time he’s run a pub:

“My background is in the creative industry - design, websites, exhibitions, marketing, that sort of thing. I’ve spent a lot of time in pubs and rugby clubs and I’d always thought I’d like to run one, but until now, the time hasn’t been right.

“My children are 16 and 14 now, but up until this point it would not have been a good lifestyle choice for me to run a pub. Working for myself has meant I’ve been at home a lot, so I’ve spent a lot of time with my children. Now they’re more independent, I have more available time,” says Lee.

Having visited the pub many times over the last 18 months, Lee was excited by the prospect of taking over the business, and during the last six months worked alongside the existing team before he officially took over on March 17.

“There were managers in here running it for the previous owner, and once they left, I stepped in and picked up a lot of the practical things like the cellar work and the day to day opening and closing,” says Lee.

“It’s a very practical job and I’m a very practical person. I built my own house and started my own business, so it suits me.”

The wet-led pub is described by Lee as being “very family-orientated and dog-friendly” and with a lot of housing within a ten-minute walk from the pub, it attracts many locals.

Lee has no plans to change anything physically, as he wants to retain the cosy, homely look. He has big plans, however, to expand on the events held at the village venue, and encourage more people to take advantage of the private hire facilities.

“There’s currently a lot of parties, wakes and weddings held here, and we want to carry on with those. Historically, the pub has never charged people for the hire of the room, so I’m going to carry that on,” says Lee, adding that the regular live music, quiz and bingo nights will continue to take place.

One thing Lee is keen to encourage is more daytime visitors. “I’m going to be opening it up as somewhere for workers to use as a hotdesking facility, and I also want to bring in mums and tots to use it as a place to have tea and cake. It’s here, it’s heated, so I’d like to see it being used.”

World Cup football matches are set to be shown, and with Northampton Saints’ ground just minutes away, their matches will be screened when they’re on terrestrial television. Film nights are also on the agenda, as are food and drink challenges – including a chilli eating challenge.

One other big event on the calendar is the pub’s Caribbean day, which is happening on August 22. Customers will be able to enjoy music from a live band and DJ and indulge in authentic Caribbean food provided by a local caterer.

“The Wheatsheaf is already a community hub, and I want to build on what’s already been done and make sure that there’s something for everyone to enjoy,” says Lee.

When asked what he’s most looking forward to about running his own pub, he says: “The lifestyle change. It’s completely different to what I do at the moment.

“Running a pub is something I’ve always been interested in doing but never seriously thought about doing until recently. Now the stars have aligned and here we are!”

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