The North Yorkshire pub Black Lion has established a community kitchen garden to help bring locals together through a shared hobby to grow produce.
The new community kitchen garden at The Black Lion in Skelton-on-Ure, near Ripon, which opened in 2025 and is community-owned, features several planters and a greenhouse to help support growing throughout the seasons.
The pub was previously closed for six years until it was purchased by the community in 2024 and underwent a large-scale renovation.
Plants and cuttings from allotment holders in the village, which has limited public transport, are helping to get growing underway in the garden, which has been established on land behind the pub.
The Black Lion is run by a small committee of volunteers, supported by a bar manager and a team of around 30 other volunteers.
The garden will be looked after by the pub’s volunteers, as well as attendees of a new gardening club that is being set up.
The pub’s shop sells essentials to help support locals and guests staying at its new touring caravan site, which opened this summer and has five caravan/motorhome pitches with electric hook-up that will also stock produce from the garden.
A community cafe, which serves cooked breakfasts, light bites, cakes and hot drinks, is also a popular part of the pub’s offer. Chef Paula Pearse, who runs the cafe, also caters for the pub’s regular food theme nights, which will also feature produce from the garden when available.
Among other activities being hosted at the pub include a monthly book club, weekly pub quiz, regular showcase of local artists’ work, darts, a pianola for people to enjoy playing in the bar and garden games including petanque.
A box of gardening tools and essentials to help support the pub’s community garden was provided to The Black Lion team by Pub is The Hub who partnered with Horticup, a horticultural charity based in Harrogate for adults with learning and other disabilities, to create the gardening boxes.
Equipment for the pub’s now popular community cafe, which currently opens from Friday to Sundays, was also supported through previous grant funding from Pub is The Hub.
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Chair of the Skelton-on-Ure Pub and Hub, David Horn, said: “This wonderful kitchen garden is another way our community pub supports the wellbeing of local people.
“It has been brought to life through the collective efforts of volunteers and will provide a positive way for villagers and people from neighbouring areas to connect around a shared interest, while its produce will also provide a small revenue stream for the pub.
“It’s also a great way of maintaining the involvement of volunteers who are keen gardeners in the pub’s projects, and we hope it will continue to widen the range of people who get involved in supporting The Black Lion.”
Regional advisor for Pub is The Hub, Nigel Williams, said: “The new garden will complement and build on the strength of the pub’s thriving community café, shop and other regular activities to help grow social connections further.”
Minister for the Future of Work, Kate Dearden, said: “Rural pubs like The Black Lion are vital to communities like Skelton-on-Ure.
“Whether it’s by creating jobs or providing locals with important public services and activities, it's crucial for them to have a place to come together and socialise.
“This is exactly why we are working to secure the future of rural pubs and venues through our Hospitality Support Fund.
“On top of the £4.3bn support package announced last year, we've slashed business rates for pubs by 15% and are boosting this to 20% from April.”