Wetherspoons reveals date Penarth pub Bears Head is closing

The Bears Head’s final day of trading is this coming Sunday, June 16.

It's been a rollercoaster three months for the pub.

Om March 29, Penarth Times broke the news Wetherspoons had activated a break clause in the Bears Head’s lease and they were planning to close the pub.

On May 21, the Bears Head returned to the lauded ale guide CAMRA (campaign for real ale).

Then, on May 23, Penarth Times exclusively revealed pub owners Croeso were to take over the Bears Head site, with an aim to reopen the pub under their brand in early July.

The Bears Head will close this coming Sunday (Image: Newsquest)

Bears Head staff to move on to other Wetherspoons and take a step back from pub trade

Rumours have been swirling as to why Wetherspoons chose to close the pub, with the company merely saying it was a ‘commercial decision’.

It just so happened that a certain Penarth Times reporter was at the Bears on the evening of May 21 sampling some of the ales and while he was there, duty manager Josh Demille received the certificate to confirm Bears Head was back in CAMRA.

At the time of receiving the award, Mr Demille did not know what was going into Bears Head, but now we do, independent Welsh pub chain Croeso pubs is taking over the site.

While they move into Penarth, Mr Demille will be off to Cardiff – where Wetherspoons has redistributed him.

Another trusted staff member of Bears Head, Mason Stephenson is off to work for his dad’s car dealership on Cornerswells Road, while Elle Thompson is off to the Spoons opposite Cardiff stadium.

For Elle it’s worked out – with her always intending to move to Cardiff for uni.

For Mason, he’s stepping back from the pub trade for a bit. He emphasised that despite Bears Head dropping off the CAMRA guide, three years of hard work has seen fortunes turn round at the pub – a testament to all the staff working there, including stalwart Nicola Palmer – who is off to Spoon’s Gate Keeper in Cardiff.

Bears Head staff from left Mason Stephenson, Elle Thompson and Josh Demille with the CAMRA certificate (Image: Newsquest)

End of an era/ new era: Independent Welsh pub chain Croeso pubs is moving in (Image: Newsquest/ Croeso)

Penarth Times coverage of the closure of the Bears Head:

• Wetherspoon pub Bears Head in Penarth set to close
• 'It's part of the social fabric of the town': Emotional plea to save beloved pub
• Croeso Pubs moving into Penarth Wetherspoons Bears Head

• Wetherspoons pub Bears Head back on CAMRA real ale guide

Nick Simmons set up a petition to try save the Bears Head (Image: Nick Simmons)

Croeso pubs moving into Penarth Wetherspoons Bears Head

South Wales pub chain Croeso Pubs Ltd is taking over the lease of The Bear’s Head in Penarth, with an aim to reopen the pub under their brand in early July.

Croeso Pubs Director Simon Little said “prices will mostly remain the same”, while fellow director Craig Davies addressed the importance of the Bears Head to the community, saying: “The fact that the community launched a petition when the closure of Bear’s Head was announced demonstrates that this is a place that matters to locals, and this only galvanises our resolve to invest in this “must visit” pub in Penarth.”

Got a story in Penarth? Email harry.jamshidian@newsquest.co.uk.