The Halfway House is set in the Cornish countryside along the river Lynher and a short distance from many beaches including Whitsand Bay and Seaton.
Publicans Lloyd and Kirsty Halliday, who took over the pub in November 2019, run the free-of-tie private lease in this small Cornish village that has 200 residents.
The Halfway House has five letting rooms, a restaurant serving the finest fresh and locally sourced food, free Wi-Fi and welcomes feline friends.
It was one of the first micro libraries created with a partnership between Pub is The Hub and Cornwall Library Service and it is still an important part of the pub today.
Project Summary:
To create an allotment in the pub garden that can help the local community get together, educate school children and provide produce to be served on the pub’s menu.
In fact volunteers in the community asked if an allotment could be created in the pub garden. The idea was that in the summer months this would be a community area as well as a working allotment.
The project involved clearing one half of a steep garden to level the ground. The allotment has been made a feature of the garden with furniture so local residents can sit and admire the plants and see the progress of the food growing. A greenhouse, tool shed, tools, planters and water butts have also been added.
Outcomes so far:
The allotment has proved very popular with locals and volunteers who are helping to manage the allotment area. It became an important resource for the local community, helping many keep busy especially during the first lockdown last year.
The area is helping to combat loneliness and isolation and keep the community spirit high.
The allotment also means that the fresh produce has made its way onto the pub menu.
During lockdown any surplus produce was taken to the community larder swap shop to be distributed to the local community
This new project has enhanced the link between the locals and the new publicans.
Local schools have already expressed an interest in the planned garden and education scheme.
Lessons to Learn:
- The project brought more people in from the local community.
- Even the wildest part of a pub garden can be put to good use for the local community
- That an allotment can keep giving at all times of the year. The kitchen had beetroot in March last year, which was not expected.
- The publican has also had an education on planting and how to utilise the full garden and its produce.
- Volunteers in the local community have remained committed to the allotment and that has helped them feel connected.
What The Pub is The Hub regional advisor Reg Clarke said about the project:
“This allotment has really helped bring the local community together and is already helping to combat loneliness.”