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18
May
‘Unsustainable’ business model sees tenants leave Skelton community pub
The tenants of the Black Lion at Skelton-on-Ure are to leave, just six months after the pub reopened under community ownership.
Admiral Taverns closed the pub near Ripon in 2019. Locals raised £480,000 to buy it in March 2024 and new tenants Tadgh Barry and Mary Benson started serving pints again in November 2025.
However, the couple said over the weekend they had made the “incredibly painful decision” to leave on May 23.
In a social media post, they said:
Over the past six months we have poured absolutely everything we had into trying to build something special here, financially, physically, emotionally and creatively. We truly believed in what the Black Lion could become and have loved creating a warm, welcoming and characterful space for the village and beyond.
Sadly, despite our very best efforts, the reality of the hospitality industry at the moment, particularly for independent rural pubs, has made it impossible for us to continue sustainably.
The Black Lion in Skelton-on-Ure.
The committee of Skelton-on-Ure Community Pub & Hub, which owns the Black Lion, paid tribute on social media to the “incredible transformation Tadgh and Mary have achieved for us”, adding they had worked 80 to 90-hour weeks.
But it added:
Despite our tenants' tenacity and hard work, the pressures facing the wider hospitality industry make their current business model unsustainable under today's economic conditions.
The statement did not say what will happen to the pub after Mr Barry and Ms Benson leave.
But it invited people to “join us for a drink before the 24th to celebrate everything that Tadgh and Mary have accomplished, and to reassure you that this is not the end of the road for The Black Lion”.
Dozens of people paid tribute to the couple for their efforts.
One said:
“Tadgh and Mary have created a wonderfully welcoming place at the pub, inside and out.”
Another described the news as “incredibly sad” and said they “pray it doesn’t remain shut”.
Another added:
“Very sad news. The situation at the moment in the hospitality trade is tragic.”
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