Devon landlord left stunned after remarkable pub connection

A Devon pub has accidentally found its way back into the family after 50 years. The popular boozer was brought back to life by a new landlord last year, who also later realised he had a closer connection to it than he first thought.

David Veal, 38, says it has always been his dream to run a pub, having lived and breathed hospitality since he was a teenager. He started out washing dishes at the age of 14 and, over the last 24 years, has worked his way up through front of house, supervisor and kitchen roles.

While he was keen to take on a pub, he says he was nervous when he got the opportunity to run The Heathfield Inn in Honiton. After giving the place a complete makeover, he says locals soon flocked back, despite some having been initially wary of a new face at their local.

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David said: "I've worked my way up through and I thought it's time to take the plunge. I put everything on the line and everything into this and it's an absolute success. It's going from strength to strength.

"It's always been my goal and my dream so I was very nervous. It took a couple of weeks for the locals to introduce themselves, get used to me and there were a few that were a little bit dubious but they've all been won over. I've had such a good response from the locals.

"My first visit to The Heathfield was 16 years ago and when I first came in again last year, it was almost like walking back into a time warp. It was like a time capsule, nothing had changed, the red carpet was exactly the same. Greene King and I put a lot of money into it to completely refurbish it from top to bottom. Everything has been a complete overhaul.

"There's so much support for the quiz nights, for the Sunday lunches, from the tradies that come in from the industrial estate, across the board it's gone wild. It's a big chocolate box, thatched pub. It's in the middle of a housing estate, it's got warmth, it's got atmosphere. It's got two log burners and a really inviting feel to it. I think that's what makes people want to come back."

When David initially announced on his personal social media, he received more than 100 excited comments and messages from friends and family but there was one in particular who stood out. A cousin he hadn't seen for around eight or nine years, and who David had thought lived the other side of Exeter, reached out to say that The Heathfield Inn was his local pub and promised to pay him a visit.

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The cousin visited the next day but it was more than just a family reunion as he brought his wife with him, who explained that her grandfather had been the one to convert the building from a farmhouse into The Heathfield Inn in the 1970s.

David said: "I hadn't seen him for eight or nine years and he messaged me out of the blue and said 'oh that's my local, I'll come and see you'. He came in to see me the next day with his wife and daughter. He introduced me to his wife and basically her grandad is the man who converted it into a pub back in the 1970s. Through marriage, it's now back in the family. I couldn't believe it."

Pub company Greene King says it has been impressed by David's management of the pub, saying he has surpassed his yearly sales forecast in just seven months. They attribute this to his "warm-hearted, welcoming approach", as well as his ability to bring the community together through events such as quiz nights. To celebrate this achievement, they have invited him to be a VIP guest at their Night of Excellence.

David said: "I was gobsmacked to be invited, with them having so many pubs and licensees. They are absolutely blown away with what I'm doing, they're gobsmacked at how much beer I order, my figures, my occupancy rates. To get invited for a bit of recognition is really nice."