Ye Olde Red Lion landlord retires after 17 years in charge of the Chieveley pub

A Chieveley publican retired last week after 17 years in charge of one of the area’s most beloved pubs.

Robin McDonald, 68, took over Ye Olde Red Lion pub in January 2005 and is proud that it has become a social centre for the Chieveley community during his time as landlord.

A farewell party, which was attended by around 300 locals, was thrown at the Green Lane pub on Saturday, March 26.

Mr McDonald said of his retirement: “It’s time to play golf, go and watch a bit of cricket and go down the pub.”

He has run Ye Olde Red Lion with his partner Suzie Kensett for the last six years. They have been together nearly as long as Mr McDonald has been the pub landlord.

Hermitage resident Bob Warren, 77, said: “He’s been a really good publican. That pub is arguably one of the best pubs in the area, not kidding. It’s a good pub with good food; it’s good everything.”

The farewell party packed the pub out and it featured a performance from a two-piece band, a disco and an auction.

At the auction, four funny framed Tripadvisor reviews were sold for a combined total of £1,200. The money raised was donated to Unicef to aid the Ukraine crisis.

Mr McDonald said of his time in charge of the pub: “It’s been great! It’s a great village and we’re very lucky with our position here.

“We’re right at the crossroads with the A34 and the M4, we get great local trade, and we also get a lot of people meeting up off the motorway.

“I’d like to say thank you to Arkell’s [brewery]. They’ve been absolutely marvellous, especially during lockdown. We didn’t have to pay rent straight away, no questions. They were absolutely fantastic.”