Couple move nearly 150 miles from Blackpool to buy 'dream' pub near Hartlepool

Steve and Vicky Shirt are the new owners of The Plough Inn, in Hutton Henry, near Hartlepool.

The couple bought the pub after previous owner Lynda Mason retired earlier this year.

Steve and Vicky had always dreamed of running a village inn in their later years.

But after one particularly challenging day at work in March, Vicky decided to leave her job as a care co-ordinator and began their search for an ideal pub.

Vicky explained: “We started re-valuating our lives during the pandemic – as so many of us did – and it was clear that neither of us were satisfied with our jobs any more.

"Steve was always ready to take the leap. But I always felt it was better to finish our careers first.

"So, that day last March when I told Steve that I’d quit my job and did he want to buy a pub, I knew he wouldn’t take much convincing.”

Vicky and Steve, who had his own 3D printing business, soon discovered The Plough Inn.

She added: “As soon as we saw it, we just knew it was the one and with support from HSBC UK, we managed to make the purchase.”

After securing the property with a £116,000 bank loan, the first-time pub owners packed up their lives in Blackpool and moved into the accommodation above the pub with their 10-year-old son, golden retriever and African grey parrot.

Vicky added: “We’ve been warmly welcomed by the local community who are thankful that the pub’s doors have remained open after the building changed hands.

"It has been a complete dream come true to be starting the life for ourselves that we’d always wanted. I haven’t stopped smiling since we got here.”

Gavin Jesse, relationship manager at HSBC UK, said: “It’s been fantastic to help make Victoria and Steve’s dream of owning a pub a reality.

"As new business owners, the couple are clearly passionate about maintaining and building on The Plough Inn’s place in the local community.

"We’re proud to have supported the couple as they start this exciting new chapter of their lives.”

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