Hundreds sign petition calling for landlord at Morpeth pub to be reinstated
The Morpeth community has rallied round a pub landlord after she said the company that owns it told her to leave.
The Wansbeck, which is located in the Kirkhill area of the town, re-opened in spring 2025 after a short period as The Abbey.
Speaking at the time, landlord Helen had been looking to take on a pub for a while and knowing it had been a hub for the local community in the past was one of the factors in her decision to take it on.
The Wansbeck is a Stonegate Group pub and Helen claimed on the Facebook page for the pub that she received an email out of the blue from the company checking that she had vacated the establishment.
The post added: “I was told that I had attended a meeting face to face and was served with this notice two weeks ago. I was not.
“They will now no longer respond to any of my calls or emails, leaving me in limbo.”
This led to an online petition started by Jordan Smith – www.change.org/p/reinstate-our-amazing-landlady-and-her-family-at-the-wansbeck – that has already been signed by more than 700 people.
It includes the following: “We risk losing not only a business, but a vital community hub. The pub will not be the same without them; their personal touch and dedication have been central to its success.
“Helen and her family have pulled this pub from the ground and have it thriving again with a warm, friendly atmosphere.”
In response to the petition, Helen said: “Gobsmacked by this. A community at its best. Thank you will never be enough.”
Stonegate Group has been contacted for comment.