Cartmel licensees receive prestigious long service award

Richard & Donna English, licensees of The Cavendish Arms, Cartmel, have received a prestigious long service award to mark their 20^th anniversary at the landmark pub, the oldest in the village.

The award from the building’s owners, Star Pubs, recognises the contribution the couple have made to the community.  Since taking it over in November 2003, Richard and Donna have transformed The Cavendish Arms from a drinkers pub to a beautiful country inn with bedrooms renowned for its food.  Keen to retain its original features ad historic charm, they undertook a sensitive upgrade of the interior, replacing old worn carpets for oak flooring, installing new furniture and redecorating the pub in sympathetic colours.

The couple has created 100 jobs since 2003 with many staff staying with them for years.

During their time at The Cavendish Arms, Richard and Donna have helped raise £30,000 for charity including £19,000 for the Morecombe Bay Search & Rescue hoverboard.

Prior to taking on The Cavendish Arms, Richard had run bistros and tapas restaurants in Leeds and Harrogate.  It had been the couple’s dream to run a pub in the Lake District as they were regular visitors and got married there.   Today they have realised that dream and not only have a pub but also Perfect English, a lifestyle shop Donna and their daughter Beatrix run in the village, which has its 10^th anniversary this year.

Richard says: “I feel incredibly fortunate to do the job that I do and have no intention of retiring any time soon.  It gives me a great sese of pride to make people happy.  We had an open house to thank locals for supporting us and were overwhelmed by the massive turn out.  It was humbling to hear how important the pub is to everyone. 

“So, the award isn’t just for us, it’s for our staff too, who we’d like to thank for their help getting us to where we are today and for believing in us.  The day we took on The Cavendish Arms was my birthday and what a present that proved to be!  Back then trade was fairly quiet.  I still have our first day’s takings of £8.68 as a reminder of how far we’ve come.

“Now in our 20^th year, it would be great to find out more about the pub’s history and if anyone knows if The Cavendish Arms had any other names over the centuries.”

Comments Rick Rose-Coulthard, Star Pubs Business Development Manager: “Congratulations to Richard and Donna for their well-deserved award.  They have put their heart and soul into creating a superb food-oriented pub with a loyal customer following. And it’s not just locals who recognise how great The Cavendish Arms is.  The Sunday Times recently highlighted it as the place to base yourself if you’re exploring the area.

“I wish Richard and Donna both many happy years to come at The Cavendish Arms.”