The long-serving landlord of a Wiltshire pub has bid farewell to his tight-knit community of regulars after over a decade.
Steve Jenner, 66, had been at the helm of The Three Crowns pub, on The Causeway in Chippenham, since purchasing the pub in 2010 and reopening it as a “real ale and cider” venue.
In 2015 he was joined by Linda Butcher, who began organising ukelele nights at the pub before eventually marrying Steve and helping run the local.
Now the pair have said goodbye to their lives as landlords after selling The Three Crowns to Broadtown Brewery.
Linda told this paper the pair were looking forward to retirement from the pub industry, but would miss the community they had embedded themselves in.
She said: “It’s about the punters because they just made our time there.
“It has been a privilege and a blast to have worked with and in this community and we look forward to seeing them all again.
“We’ll be staying local and we’re looking forward to drinking in The Three Crowns as punters.”
During their stay Steve and Linda enjoyed success rebranding themselves as “a real ale house.”
This led to them being named the Campaign for Real Ale’s North Wiltshire pub of the year six times in the last 10 years, including in 2023.
But for Steve and Linda, the most important aspect of The Three Crowns was its role as a community hub in the town.
Linda added: “It’s a fantastic ale house but also a fantastic community pub with the most amazing punters and local community.
“It’s really vital we have community pubs because there are fewer points of connection and places people can meet now.
“It wasn’t just about drinking, the pub was a living room for everyone where people were really friendly and made others feel welcome and accepted.”
Steve and Linda’s work in the local area included charity fundraisers, delivering drinks and carrying out check-ins during lockdown, a monthly cheese club and regular live music.
They were handed a Chippenham Town Council Civic Award for “fundraising and pastoral care to the community.”
In 2022 alone, the team at The Three Crowns raised £3,447.69 for charity through a variety of fundraising events.
This was put towards good causes such as a new defibrillator, Doorway Wiltshire, Save Chippenham and Blood Cancer UK.
After purchasing the pub on Monday, May 22, Broadtown Brewery announced they would reopen the venue under new management on Thursday, May 25.
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