The Barley Mow publicans celebrate 25 years behind the bar

Tony Gardner, 81, and Jinny Gardner, 64, have been running The Barley Mow on Hanbury Street for a quarter of a decade.

The couple have no plans of calling it quits either and are excited to see the pub continue to grow.

“We’ve loved taking the pub from zero to a much-loved local,” said Tony.

“The moment we saw The Barley Mow we knew it was for us and could see its potential. Droitwich also captured our hearts as it is a pretty town, though it has grown enormously in the time we’ve been here.”

Jinny and Tony Gardner have ran The Barley Mow for 25 years

When they arrived at The Barley Mow in June 1997, the pub was little-used but has since undergone a refurbishment and introduced home-cooked food, which has made it a “hub of the community”.

During their time at The Barley Mow Tony and Jinny have created over 100 local jobs and helped raise over £20,000 for local and national charities including St Richard’s Hospice, the local fire brigade, Air Ambulance, and MacMillan Cancer Support.

Before moving to Droitwich, Tony and Jinny ran a pub in Oxfordshire following careers as a window fitter and dance teacher respectively.

They both had jobs in pubs from a young age with Tony running his first pub aged just 19.

While the pandemic proved challenging, it has not put them off running The Barley Mow.

Jinny said: “We had friends with pubs and always worked behind the bar for other people. So we thought we might as well do it for ourselves.

“We’ve no regrets as we love what we do being at the heart of the community.”

She added: “It’s been a real pleasure growing up alongside our customers. The hardest part was having to stay closed during the pandemic.

“However, we’ve bounced back. It was so lovely to open again. We haven’t been able to offer food because of staff shortages but plan on doing so later in the year.

“As for retiring, we don’t intend doing so any time soon. We enjoy what we do too much.”

The couple have no plans to retire any time soon

Tony and Jinny held a weekend of celebrations to mark their 25th anniversary at the pub, putting on live music a disco and karaoke for over 150 regulars.

The milestone achievement saw them awarded a prestigious long service award by owners Star Pubs & Bars, handed to them by regional operations director Paul Linton.

He said: “Tony and Jinny are consummate publicans and well deserving of this award.

“They have given The Barley Mow their all, creating a fantastic local community pub.

“It is great news for those working and living in Droitwich that they have extended their lease of the pub and have no plans to retire.

“Cheers Tony and Jinny! And here’s to another many more happy years behind the bar!”