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Sorrow as pub dream comes too late for Liz: 'To stand behind the bar will be very emotional'
A CALDERDALE farmer will open the historic pub he and his late wife dreamed of taking over – four years after her death.
He also intends to stay close to his roots by opening a farm shop in the pub.
David Bingham has poured 100,000 into transforming the Fleece Hotel Bar and Restaurant, Ripponden Bank, Ripponden.
And the 66-year-old says he knows he is making his wife proud.
"It will be very emotional for me to stand behind the bar at the Fleece", said Soyland-born David.
He and wife Elizabeth were regulars at the pub before she died of a stroke four years ago.
"We both loved the building and always talked about opening it together but were waiting for the opportunity to come along.
"It didn't until it was too late for Liz. But I will be thinking of her."
David, a grandfather-of-five who runs several farms in Soyland, has been a regular in the Fleece since his teens and wants to re-open the pub in the traditional style he remembers.
He said: "People may think I'm a lunatic for taking this on at my age but I feel a second wind and want to ensure its heritage remains.
"The building has stood since 1737 and is a lovely traditional pub with a beautiful snug and little rooms.
"It was shut for six months and was a bit rundown but we have refurbished the old features and installed an open-plan kitchen like it used to have.
"I wanted to keep the Fleece the way I remembered and it will be great for a traditional pub to be opening rather than closing for a change."
The pub partially opened yesterday and will open fully next Friday.
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Friday 10 February 2012
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