Freckenham Golden Boar owner urges support for pubs

David Taylor, who runs The Golden Boar in Freckenham, said he saw a post on social media where residents said they would like a Toby Carvery to fill one of the empty spaces in Mildenhall town centre.

Mr Taylor said that he'd like to see residents support local restaurants that offer carveries or Sunday roasts before thinking of the big chains, and said if pubs don't get more support they could be lost due to rising costs.

David Taylor, owner of The Golden Boar (Image: David Taylor)

"My utility bills have gone from £1,500 a month to £6,000 a month and we need all the support we can get," he said.

"If you go back in time, the pub was always where people would go to meet or hold events. You never get people going to Toby Carvery for a wake really, do you? 

"If I was to close I have got people who live in the village who would potentially no longer have a job. People do rely on me." 

Mr Taylor, who took on The Golden Boar in 2019, said the price of a Toby Carvery is £14.49 on a Sunday, with a £1.99 extra charge to go supersized, while his Sunday dinner is £15. 

The Golden Boar Freckenham (Image: Google maps)

Urging people to visit, he said: "It has been possibly the most difficult three or four years for the pub industry. 

"I do understand the cost of living crisis for people, but my pub dates back three or four-hundred years - if it is not there then what do we do?

"I would like people to maybe come and try it and then see if they would prefer a chain." 

In a post on Facebook, which has over 140 reactions, Mr Taylor wrote: "We independent pubs compete with these enormous companies everyday, but instead of reporting multi-million pound profits my fellow licensees and business owners are happy to be able to continue trading." 

Last month a Suffolk pubs representative urged residents to support the threatened industry this Christmas amid fears that pubs are being lost 'at a distressing rate'. 

Martin Bate, pubs officer for West Suffolk CAMRA and regional representative for the Campaign for Pubs, said the county's public houses have become vulnerable to closures, conversions and demolitions, with three closing this year in West Suffolk alone. 

Mr Bate said: "Our pubs are under threat, and we are losing them at a distressing rate.

"They have long been too easy to close down and then convert or demolish, which makes them vulnerable to those who do not value them or want to preserve them in the same way that most of us do.

"If we want to keep our pubs and our pub culture alive and thriving, we all need to visit our pubs to enjoy a drink, a meal or just meet up with friends."