New landlady for historic Saddleworth pub

Sharon Musgrove

A new landlady will take over an ancient landmark Saddleworth hostelry next month.  

Sharon Musgrove, and her husband Aki take over The Swan Inn in the square at Dobcross.

Sharon who has a background in Wealth Management, said candidly her move to the Swan was a “now or never decision".  Having lived in Dobcross for 27 years and been a pub regular for almost the same amount of time she declared:  "I would never have envisaged that 27 years later I would be embarking on a new venture as the landlady of The Swan," she said. "But I decided now was the time to take my life in a totally different direction.

“I couldn’t have chosen a worst time to make such a huge life-changing decision but as the saying goes: nothing  ventured nothing gained.

“However, at the heart of my decision is a desire to get The Swan back to its former glory as a family pub and restore it back to its rightful place at the heart of the community as the place to eat, drink and, lets face it, be very best of good old British hospitality.”

And with the support of her husband who has a background in Careers Advice and Guidance, she is planning a monthly curry evening courtesy of his expert knowledge of Punjabi cuisine.

“I will also be restarting the function room upstairs when circumstances allow to provide a whole range of music, theatre and comedy to appeal to a wide range of tastes.

“But my decision to take the pub on  is driven Dobcross village community itself.  I have been incredibly humbled by everyone’s encouragement and support which is invaluable.

“With that in mind, I hope you will all help Aki and I make The Swan a great place to be and we look forward to welcoming  everyone when I take over.”

A Marston’s spokesperson said: “We have appointed Sharon as the new tenant and we are excited for this new chapter for the pub.”

The Swan Inn will safely reopen to the local community when possible and restrictions allow.

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