As you probably know, the village pub, The Cartwheel has recently changed hands. Our plans are to return it to its roots as The Cartwheel Inn. Eventually, we hope to have rooms to let, but soon we hope to have meals and of course a good Bar. Drinkers, diners, and residents will all be welcome.

It is a fact that the pub cannot survive on Whitsbury village customers alone. We must have an attractive destination so people are prepared to travel to Whitsbury. It’s a very pretty village with lots of good walking around. I have learned one thing in business that it is not possible to please all of the people all of the time. We will though try very hard to please most of the people most of the time.

What’s happening at the moment: The first thing we have done is put a timber retaining wall into the car park. The banks were slowly moving into the car park reducing the number of potential vehicles. At the same time, a large hole appeared as our toilet soak away has not been maintained for so many years. Hopefully, the work we have done will make this trouble free for many years. Also, in the car park, we have removed the mural which I am amazed was allowed to be put on a side of a listed building in the centre of a conservation area. Inside we are putting in a brand new kitchen and toilets. The interior has been revamped to make the place feel lighter and less gloomy. Unfortunately, I cannot give you an opening date as new kitchen equipment needs an upgraded electrical supply and we cannot get an installation date from the electricity board.

Pubs all over the UK are under threat for various reasons. Ones that are closing have failed to evolve to meet a changing requirement. As an example, we will have a varied menu for diners with all the traditional pub classics, but there will be a lot more dishes using our steamers and less using a deep fat fryer. There will be more fish and healthy options.

Finally, if you would like an idea of how The Cartwheel Inn may look, please visit The Royal Oak at North Gorley, a pub we also operate. I have seen many Whitsbury residents there and so far I have only had nice comments. We will try to keep your parish council fully up-to-date with what’s coming up at the Cartwheel Inn. We will be having preview openings for local residents only before we officially open.