We visited a countryside pub that's been transformed from a former barbecue restaurant to a farmers' community hub
This is a pub which has given new life to a former barbecue restaurant and supports the farming community it is based in.
The west of Shropshire is full of small communities and plenty of farms kept by folk who work hard to keep the region and, indeed the country, fed.
While parts can seem remote, there are always places where residents and those passing through can meet up, talk about farming, have a cold drink and enjoy a hot meal in comfort.
One such place is the Gates at Ford, a pub which has given new life to the building it inhabits, which was previously a pub called the Cross Gates then, up until closure in 2022, an American-themed barbecue restaurant called Smoke Stop.
It reopened as the Gates at Ford, named for the village it is set near on the A458, in June 2024, after the lease was bought by Amy Brookes and her team.
Ms Brookes said she and her team had run a pub in Pontesbury previously and were looking to expand somewhere and found it was a pub with potential.
She said: "We just wanted to be able to expand to somewhere not far from Pontesbury and I think this building has always been a very nice one in a great location, having originally been part of a farm building.
