The Taff’s Well Inn is set to take its place at the heart of the community once more as it prepares to open its doors again after five months of closure.
The pub became a focal point for locals following extensive flooding in the area earlier this year, with the Coronavirus outbreak closing its doors not long after.
Now, five months and an extensive refurbishment project later, the Taff’s Well Inn is ready to welcome the community it has supported – and which has supported it in return – back after what has been a difficult few months for all concerned.
Marsha Ward, who bought the Taff’s Well Inn with her husband Mike Shallish just six months ago, said: “It has certainly been a baptism of fire – we took the pub over in November 2019 and it was pretty run down then, so we had to spend time and money doing it up. Then Christmas was busy, as was the Six nations and it was great to see the locals returning and enjoying our food and hospitality.
“Then the floods hit in February and the community we love so much was devastated, and we decided to do all we could to help. My 16-year-old son was rescuing families from their homes and bringing them to the pub – we became a community centre for food, clothes, warmth and solace, supporting all the other local community hubs in whatever way we could.”
“The floods subsided, and we started trading normally again but then Covid hit and we closed our doors – well, partially. Again, we decided to help the community and delivered food to those who were self-isolating or shielding, as well as offering an afternoon tea delivery service to cheer customers up,” Marsha continued.
“Now, after lots of paint and lots of work, we are again ready to welcome our friends and neighbours at a safe social distance through our doors. We have a new chef, a new menu and a new colour on the walls, and we’re really excited to welcome one and all in so they can see what we’ve achieved for themselves.”
The family has a background in licensed premises – albeit with a focus on their finances rather than pulling pints – as Marsha has run a successful accountancy business, The Pub Hub, specialising in pub finances for more than ten years.
Marsha explained: “Working so extensively with pubs and landlords as I have over the past decade has really given me an insight into the inner workings and challenges of running and owning a successful pub, so when the opportunity to buy our local came up Mike and I jumped at the chance, and we haven’t looked back.”
“Despite the challenges we can truly say it has been the best decision we ever made. We have got to meet and support more of this great community than ever – we’re currently helping raise funds to repair the memorial at Taff’s Well Park, for example – and it’s great to be able to contribute more than just a pint or two.”
