The Goodrest Tavern given new lease of life after reopening

Excitement is in the air at The Goodrest Tavern on Barker Street after it officially reopened following a makeover.

THE BEST? Landlord Craig Davis said the pub may have the best dart boards in Worcester. (Image: Newsquest) Landlord Craig Davis is impressed with the pub's new look and thinks it may officially have "the best darts board in Worcester".

Mr Davis hopes the refurbishment will help give back to the city and has teased setting up a pub dart, pool and skittles team thanks to the makeover and several fundraising events.

NEW: The pub has a new flooring and pool table. (Image: Newsquest) He first entered the pub trade nearly 15 years ago and ran several pubs in Worcester before settling at The Goodrest Tavern in 2017. 

And now, he has signed a five-year lease with the establishment and the refurbishment.

"The pub has been given a new lease of life," he said.

SPORT: The bar section of the pub has TV's installed. (Image: Newsquest) "We are very community-focused. Before this pub, I used to run multiple sites so you couldn't be in one place all the time.

"But now there will be a lot of fundraising and we first want to get a new defibrillator. 

"My daughter Shauna is also autistic and we have used quite a few local facilities. 

"We know how useful they are for the people who use them and throughout the year we will be raising money for them.

SUMMER: The pub has a new and improved pub garden. (Image: Newsquest) "We will be doing everything we can to help them and give back.

"The idea is that we will do what we can for everyone we can."

Part of the refurbishment involved installing a large beer garden, new flooring and improving its dart boards, pool tables, and skittle alley. 

Mr Davis said if anyone would like to start a darts, pool or skittle team with the pub, it will be happy to cover the costs for their professional T-shirts.

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Matthew Gurney, operations director for Proper Pubs—the group the pub is under—said Mr Davis is a community hero and passionate operator who wants to keep the pub in the heart of Worcester.

Mr Gurney said: “I’m really excited about the reopening of The Goodrest Tavern and especially to welcome Craig back as the operator.

"I can’t believe how fantastic the pub is looking already and we’re just working on those final touches ahead of reopening.

"On behalf of the Proper Pubs team, we would like to wish our community hero, Craig, every inch of success for the future in making The Goodrest Tavern a fantastic hub of the community.”