Village pub saved from housing plan wins award

A landlord who helped save the pub he visited with his family in his youth said winning an award has been part of an "extraordinary journey".

The New Fountain Inn in Whimple, near Exeter, Devon, had been the focus of a planning application submitted in 2020 to turn it into a smaller "micro-pub" and have three houses in the car park.

This led to a campaign in the village to save the pub before Lee Wheaton took over as landlord with his father Kevin.

The pub, where Wheaton's grandfather Francis would take him and the family during his childhood, has been named Rural Pub of the Year by Exeter & East Devon Campaign For Real Ale, leaving its landlords "over the moon".

"For us, this award is about much more than simply having a certificate behind the bar," Wheaton said.

"It represents another chapter in what has been an extraordinary journey for the New Fountain Inn."

Wheaton and his father took over running the closed pub in September 2022 and went on to reopen the site seven months later.

The 46-year-old said he has had to do a lot of "learning on the job" having not run a pub before, but has thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

"It's an amazing trade to be in," Wheaton said.

"It is long hours but you get to meet people and see people all the time."

Wheaton said there had been tough moments while running the pub, especially with the challenges being faced by the hospitality industry with rising costs and changing customer habits.

He said: "Like many independent pubs, we've had our ups and downs along the way, but we've always believed that a proper village pub is worth fighting for."

Camra said there were more than 300 rural pubs in the Exeter & East Devon area and the New Fountain Inn was a "deserved winner" of the award.

"The team at the pub are to be congratulated in winning this award so soon after saving the pub from, potentially, being converted into housing," a spokesperson said.

"The pub is obviously popular with the locals and Exeter & East Devon Camra enjoys their visits on account of the welcome, the quality of the beer and the ambience."

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