The Hawley Arms, a traditional community pub in Farnborough, reopened on Friday 14th February following an enormous combined investment of £270,000 from Admiral Taverns and passionate licensee, Kerrie Whittingham. The investment has allowed Kerrie to breathe new life into the pub, enabling her to further establish it as a lively social hub at the heart of the local community.
The pub is owned by Admiral Taverns – the UK’s leading community pub company with over 1,400 sites across England, Scotland and Wales.
Internally, the bar area of The Hawley Arms has been completely revamped, including brand new fixtures, fittings, furniture and flooring, to elevate the overall look and feel of the pub, as well as newly refreshed toilet facilities. As part of the investment, the kitchen has undergone a complete refurbishment allowing the licensee to offer a fantastic food menu of traditional, homemade pub classics – think Sunday roasts, fish and chips, burgers and pies. Where possible, Kerrie will work with local suppliers to ensure that the highest quality, freshest ingredients are used.
Externally, The Hawley Arms features brand new lighting and signage to greet customers as well as a new wheelchair ramp at the entrance of the pub to ensure it is accessible to all. In addition, the pub hosts a spacious beer garden – seating up to 60 people – complete with a covered area, BBQ zone and outdoor television making it the perfect place to socialise all year round. Going forward, Kerrie hopes to further enhance the outdoor space with a children’s play area to make it a family-friendly destination.
Having worked in the hospitality industry for over 30-years, Kerrie brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to The Hawley Arms. She began her career in the UK by running multiple community pubs, before moving to Portugal in the 90’s where she ran vibrant bars for over a decade. When Kerrie returned to England, she moved to Farnborough – where she’s now been for 16-years – and soon took over The Ship, a nearby village pub, where she’s been at the helm for 11-years.
Kerrie Whittingham, Licensee of The Hawley Arms, commented: “I am thrilled to have taken over The Hawley Arms! This is a fantastic local pub with so much potential and I’m really looking forward to creating a vibrant hub for all to enjoy!”
Upon reopening, the licensee will run an exciting schedule of weekly entertainment including bingo nights every Tuesday, quizzes every Wednesday, live music every weekend and will host local pool and darts teams. Going forward, Kerrie hopes to partner with several local causes and charities to ensure The Hawley Arms supports all aspects of local life.
The pub hosts an impressive range of drinks to suit all preferences. Guests can enjoy an extensive range of premium draught products, including Guinness, Birra Moretti, Carling, Coors, and Madri, alongside three refreshing ciders, a keg ale, and a traditional bitter. For those seeking something a little different, customers can double up on shots of spirits for an extra £1.50 all day, every day.
David Stallard, Business Development Manager at Admiral Taverns, added: “I’d like to thank Kerrie for all her hard and support in bringing this refurbishment to life – the pub looks incredible! On behalf of myself and the everyone at Admiral Taverns, I’d like to wish Kerrie, and her incredible team who are coming with her from The Ship, every success for the future.”
ENDS
Media Enquiries:
Houston
Ben Robinson/India Spencer
T: +44 (0) 204 529 0549
Notes To Editors:
Admiral Taverns (“Admiral”) is the UK’s number one community pub group. Headquartered in Chester; the Group operates a national estate of over 1,400 predominantly wet-led community pubs. Admiral’s unique operational approach has earnt industry recognition with the Group winning Best Community Pub Operator at the 2024 Publican Awards, whilst also being shortlisted for Best Partnership Pub Company (501+ Sites). In 2019, 2016 and 2013, Admiral Taverns won Best Leased and Tenanted Pub Company at the Publican Awards and ranked highly commended as Best Community Pub Operator in 2017. The Group has also been consistently highly rated by licensees in the industry’s independent annual Tenant Track survey, exceeding the scores of all its national peers.
Media Enquiries:
Houston
Ben Robinson/India Spencer
T: +44 (0) 204 529 0549
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