Marcus Jones MP, Community Pubs Minister at the Department for Communities and Local Government, visited the Tally Ho on Monday 27th July and met Littlehempston Community Pub Limited management committee members Ali Batten, Andrew Mogford, Martin Stentiford and Mike Thomas. Jeremy Christophers, the leader of Teignbridge District Council was with Marcus Jones, and our local MP Sarah Wollaston came along too.

Mr Jones is keen to promote the community pub model across the country, so wanted to find out how we’d succeeded in buying and re-opening the Tally. We were able to tell him about the wide range of elements that had come to together to make our project successful. Both MPs were very interested in the effects of government policies and initiatives such as the Localism Act 2011 which allows the registration of Assets of Community Value, and the Enterprise Investment Scheme. They also wanted to know what other things they could do to help other pubs follow in our footsteps. The Tally Ho team were happy to oblige with lots of suggestions.

Marcus Jones was most impressed and said “It’s fabulous to see how well you’ve brought it together in such a short space of time … You can be proud as a community that you still have a pub in the village.”

Click here to listen to Marcus Jones talking to Heart Radio’s Andy Ballantyne at the Tally Ho.

The Summer 2015 edition of Devon Life has a heavy focus on food and drink. In one of the articles, editor Andy Cooper picks his top 20 spots for dining in Devon, and the Tally Ho is one of them! Here’s what he says:

“I could list 25 other pubs I’d happily recommend to you across this county but lets tip one more which is a hostelry with MEANING. And that is The Tally Ho at Littlehempston, the pub saved by the community. And no, you don’t have to sit and ‘endure’ the food and drink there just to prove you’re ‘giving something back’ – the whole place is utterley fabulous, from the beer to the beef. Go there and do your bit not only for the village but your tastebuds too.”

Thank you Andy!

The same edition launches the Devon Life 2015 Food and Drink Awards. There are 16 categories – the Tally Ho can’t win them all, but how about Best Newcomer Of The Year, Best Devon Sunday Roast, Best Family Friendly Dining Experience Of The Year, Best Restaurant/Dining Experience Of The Year, Best Gastro Pub Of The Year or Best Chef Of The Year? If you want to vote for the Tally in any or all of those categories, just click on the red link above – voting closes on Sunday 23rd August.