The Waldy

East Harptree's

community-owned pub

Thanks to the 342 shareholders of the East Harptree Community Benefit Society (EHCBS), The Waldegrave was purchased on 24 May 2024 and now belongs to the community for good.

Visit the pub website

- Temporary closure update -

9 April 2026

We would like to thank everyone in the community who has supported The Waldy over the last eighteen months. We appreciate your patience and understanding over the past few weeks, as we’ve been unable to share as much as we'd have liked to, due to legal advice we've received.

We know many of you are keen to find out what the immediate future holds for the pub. So here’s the current update.

At present, Life & Soul Pubs Ltd, the leaseholder, has ceased trading, which means The Waldy is temporarily closed. We are working hard to make sure this closure is only for a short period. During this time, the pub will be kept secure while we organise plans for reopening. It’s our top priority to welcome everyone back as soon as possible and make sure the pub is open this spring.

We understand there are still many questions about the reasons for these changes. We will hold a Special Members Meeting to give everyone a chance to ask questions. We will email EHCBS members with a date for this meeting as soon as we are able to.

Finally, please bear with us as legal processes are concluded. We will keep you updated and let you know as soon as we have news about when the pub will be open.

Tenancy update 24 March 2026

This is an important update for the East Harptree community and all who enjoy and support our community-owned pub.

As of last week, EHCBS has proposed that Life and Soul Pubs Ltd (of which Mike Harris is the director) leave the Waldy at a date to be confirmed in early April.

We know this may come as a shock, especially to everyone who has enjoyed getting together over some good food and drink over the past 14 months. The work put in by the team at the Waldy has made it a welcoming and lively local to be proud of. We want to thank Mike for all the hard work and creativity he’s put in to get the Waldy open from a standing start.

Why has this happened?

As discussions around handover continue, we are not disclosing further specific information at this time. Our priority is, and will continue to be, safeguarding the future of the Waldy and the investment from our members and the community. We will share more information when it is right and fair to do so.

What next?

The Waldy is the heart of our social community and that won’t change. We hope to re-open the pub as soon as we can after this transition, and more information about what that will look like is coming your way as soon as possible. Please bear with the EHCBS while we navigate this period of change and continue supporting the team at the Waldy over the coming weeks.

For future updates to your mailbox, please subscribe to the EHCBS mailing list, below.

What is the East Harptree Community Benefit Society?

The EHCBS was set up by the East Harptree community in 2023 by a small group of local volunteers determined not to let our historic pub close permanently or fall into the hands of developers. The aim was to purchase The Waldegrave and engage an experienced tenant to run it as a thriving business for the benefit of the community.

In just a little over a year, the society raised £253k in community shares, secured a £250k Community Ownership Fund from the government (plus other additional grants and income) to make an offer and purchase the pub – an incredible achievement.

What does a community-owned pub mean?

Our pub (the buildings and garden) is community-owned in perpetuity but currently run by a tenant. In short that means we own and are responsible for the building and grounds but everything to do with prices, beer, music (you name it) is up to our experienced tenant, who runs the pub with paid, professional staff.