The former owners of a popular mid Norfolk pub and hotel are bidding farewell to customers after six years of service.
Gareth and Rebecca Williams, former owners of The George Tavern on Swaffham Road in Dereham, are officially closing the doors of their pub and hotel for the last time on Wednesday, August 19 after a six-year stint.
The husband and wife duo, who took over the lease in February 2014, also managed the Carpenters Arms in Wighton but have decided not to renew their lease in Dereham so they can spend more time with family.
Mr Williams, 38, who has worked at the pub as its head chef for 20 years, said: “It has been a brilliant six years, we have loved being the owners of the pub and being part of the community in Dereham.
“We have done hundreds of bespoke weddings, been part of countless father’s days, mother’s days and Christmases over the years.
“We have achieved everything we wanted to since we arrived here and we’re now going to have some proper family time over the next couple of months.”
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Mrs Williams, 39, works at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) and her husband was head chef at The George before taking over the lease.
The couple have two young boys, Hayden and Stanley, were both born while they were managing pubs.
Even though the pair had experience running pubs in the past, they had never been in charge of a hotel before.
Upon returning to work after the coronavirus pandemic, the couple described the return as “bittersweet” as they knew they wouldn’t be open long before their lease ended.
Mrs Williams said: “We have had the highest of highs and lowest of lows since being at The George.
“After coronavirus, our return was bittersweet as our lease ended on August 21, meaning we were only able to reopen for five weeks before we closed the doors again.
“We imagined having a big party or get-together when we left but that’s just not something we can do in the current climate.
“We’re going to miss our regulars so much and we can’t thank everybody that has ever worked for us enough for all of the hard work they have put in to making The George everything that it is today.”
Wellington Pub Company did not respond to a request for comment on the pubs future.
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