King’s Arms, Paul, Cornwall

Paul  is a village in the parish of Penzance – the village is two miles (3 km) south of Penzance and one mile (1.6 km) south of Newlyn.

Will McClelland, the licensee at the King’s Arms at Paul took over the pub in September 2016 and quickly made an impact on this St Austell Brewery-owned outlet with a refurbishment of the pub’s interior. He implemented a no-fruit-machine, no-satellite/TV policy to encourage a return to old family values and quickly earned a reputation for good food and good beer in hospitable surroundings.

Bed and breakfast accommodation is available in five comfortable rooms, providing the ideal base for visitors to explore all the delights that the area offers. Cyclists are catered for at the King’s Arms with a lock up yard for safe cycle storage. The pub is located just off the National Cycle Network Route 3, making it the perfect accommodation choice for ‘End-to-Enders’.

Aside from business from tourists, Will was also keen to become more involved in the community and provide additional services for them.

Having made contact with Reg Clarke, the regional advisor for Pub is The Hub, Will devised the idea of providing facilities for local groups, clubs and entertainment in the pub through the purchase of some projection equipment. Following a community and customer survey it became clear that the small village community was keen to pursue the idea and were fully supportive of the project.

Project Summary:

A grant was provide through the Community Services Fund to buy projection equipment and a display screen as a useful facility for local groups and clubs meeting at the pub; to provide educational workshops or courses and to offer film nights for local people.

Outcomes so far:

• The pub has become a regular meeting place for the local village community.
• This has helped to combat isolation and enhance health and well-being in the area and is rebuilding community spirit.
• The King’s Arms is again now the meeting place of the Mousehole Male Voice Choir  and other local groups.
• The community have also asked the licensee if he could house a post office at the pub.

Lessons to Learn:

Despite having no previous pub experience and not being from the area, Will has quickly engaged with the community and worked with them to create a highly valued social hub for the whole village.