Jo and Keith Walkley-Pratt run The Bear Hotel, a historic fixture in Wantage’s Market Place since the time of Henry VIII. Owned by Arkell’s Brewery, the couple recently celebrated three decades of managing pubs together.
To mark this milestone, members of the Arkell family and brewery directors visited The Bear to personally congratulate the licensees. Jo Walkley-Pratt remarked, “Hospitality is in our blood. We’ve been doing this for 30 years now, and it still feels special every day. We’re so proud of what we’ve achieved as a family, and The Bear has been a wonderful place to put down roots.”
While their journey in operating pubs began in 1995, the Walkley-Pratts have been at the helm of The Bear Hotel for the last 16 years. Over time, their family’s involvement has grown, with daughters Ellie and Georgia now taking on roles as sous chef and house manager, respectively. Mrs. Walkley-Pratt reflects, “We’ve been here 16 years and had an amazing time, we can’t imagine doing anything else.”
The Bear Hotel is notable for its 34 en-suite rooms and an award-winning restaurant, reflecting the commitment of the Walkley-Pratt family to providing an excellent hospitality experience. James Arkell, the chairman of Arkell’s Brewery, shared his sentiments: “We were all thrilled to celebrate 30 years of Jo, Keith and family with Arkell’s Brewery. They are a highly professional, successful family, and we have enjoyed knowing them and working with them for all these years.”
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