Villagers respond to rallying cry as pub reopens

In tandem with January's reopening of the Tally Ho Inn, which is getting a gleaming, repainted, pub sign to mark the happy occasion, locals have been making various improvements to the environment in the village in the shadow of Brown Clee Hill.

Villager Bernard O'Connor said: "The Tally Ho Inn was closed in the second half of 2021. When it was learned that a new tenant had been found and that the pub would reopen in early 2022, Kate Chevallier, a local artist, volunteered to use acrylic paint and varnish to improve the Tally Ho sign, which was in serious need of repair.

"The painting on one side was completely disfigured by mould, and the horse rider and hound in front of the Clee Hills on the other side was in desperate need of retouching."

In consultation with the landlord, Bernard negotiated the assistance of rish council chairman, Dave Hedgley, the , and Steve Bartlett, a retired retail manager, to remove the sign.

He said: "Roland Tagg, a furniture maker, located and primed an aluminium sheet on which Kate Chevallier painted a new picture.

"To improve the village's entry statement, Steve Bartlett rebuilt the flower box by the car parking alongside the road opposite the Tally Ho, and Jenny Vine, footpaths and bridleway coordinator, refilled and replanted flowers and shrubs.

"John Perks, a retired antique dealer, rebuilt the village's notice board."

Bernard added: "As yet, we don't have a date for the rehanging as we await the aluminium sheet. When it is complete and rehung, Bouldon's entry statement will look dramatic."

The reopening of the Tally Ho is another twist in the pub's fortunes. At one point it seemed the village might lose the pub for good, as it had previously closed in 2006, and a long-running planning dispute began over proposals to turn it into a house. But happily for villagers the pub was destined to reopen as a traditional country pub once more.