Category: Latest News

It’s been a couple of months since our new tenant has taken over the reins at the White House, and I’d like to give you a quick update on how things are progressing.

Mev and Akil have been very proactive in making improvements to the look and feel of the pub. In particular they have invested in new furniture for the outside areas, which is a significant upgrade on what we had before. The pub garden area is a now a much more inviting space to enjoy in the summer months. Also in the next few weeks we will have had the exterior of the pub redecorated (it will still be painted white!) to complement the positive impression that the new furniture and sun umbrellas have made.  

There have also been improvements made inside the pub. A lot of the furniture in the dining area has been upgraded, and the internal decorations have been enhanced. The food offering has also been refreshed, and now mixes traditional freshly prepared pub food with a changing roster of interesting dishes on the specials board. There are vegetarian options available and a children’s menu is also offered.

I am also very pleased to report that Mev, Akil and the team have been very proactive in supporting the numerous community focused activities that are hosted by the White House, which includes Aunt Sally, Cribbage, Mah-jong, and other board games. In addition, the weekly pub quizzes, coffee mornings and the monthly book club are still attracting a strong and loyal following. There have also been live music events and Rock and Roll bingo that attracts a broad spectrum of support.

Overall, if you have not had a chance yet to experience the changes, I would encourage you to drop in to the White House and sample what is on offer for yourselves. Your ongoing support for this community-led venture is truly appreciated, and we hope you will continue to enjoy having your local pub as a space for meeting up with friends and family.

John Anson
Chair, Bladon Community Benefit Society

I am pleased to inform you that Mevlan Karaj has agreed to be our new tenant at the White House. Mev is well known in the local area, as he previously managed the Back Lane pub in Woodstock for 7 years, and currently is the proprietor of Brothertons Brasserie, also in Woodstock. As a consequence Mev has over twenty years experience in the hospitality trade. His vision for the White House is to retain its purpose as a community village pub, serving good food and drinks in a welcoming environment. The new lease agreement was signed on Sunday 8th June, with the transfer of the lease occurring on Monday 9th June. The pub will be closed for one week while Mev and his team prepare for reopening in the short term. It will reopen on 16th June, with the existing regular events continuing as before.

I would like to take this opportunity again to thank Nicola Smith for her tenure at the White House. Nic will be missed as she had settled very well into her role as the village publican. On behalf of the BCBS committee I would to wish her the very best for the future, and hope to see her back at the pub as a customer in the not too distant future.

John Anson
Chair, Bladon Community Benefit Society

This year’s AGM will be on Tuesday 11 March 2025 at 7.30pm. Keeping with tradition, it will be held in the White House and there will be a free drink for all shareholders in attendance.  We have had a busy year of infrastructure improvements and tenancy changes which we would like to update you on, and the meeting provides an opportunity to gather feedback on areas we can continue to work on to improve.  

The rules of our Society specify that we need at least 10% of the membership to be present in order to be quorate. That equates to a minimum attendance of 48 shareholders, so please do make an effort to come along. If you are representing other family members who are shareholders, please obtain their permission beforehand and notify us when signing in.
The AGM is for shareholders only, so the pub will be closed to the general public during the meeting, but the bar will remain open both during and after the meeting.

All of the current members of the committee have expressed an interest to remain in post. If any shareholder would like to join the committee please email me at chair@bladoncommunitypub.org. Our Society rules dictate that we should have no more than 10 committee members. If this is exceeded we will take a vote at the AGM.

Nicola has been involved in the hospitality business over a number of years and comes from a family of publicans and restauranteurs. She very much identifies with the vision that we have for our community owned pub. Her plan is to provide a welcoming atmosphere with reasonably priced, good quality pub food and drink which sells local products, catering for both the local trade and people visiting the area.

She wants the pub to be a destination where people come to frequently for a spot of lunch, a decent evening meal and for her customers to go away happy with the fare they have sampled all at a competitive price.

She intends to use local suppliers for the pub classics featuring on the daily menu along with a good range of options for vegetarians and vegans.

Nicola intends to keep all the current schedule of events we have on our pub calendar which include the weekly pub quiz, games night, crib night, coffee mornings as well as continuing to host the Aunt Sally teams in the summer and regular open mic nights and bingo nights throughout the year.

Nicola and her husband Terry will be living at the pub and are really looking forward to being part of the village and getting to know all of our community.

This year’s AGM will be on Tuesday 5th March 2024 at 7.30pm. Keeping with tradition, it will be held in the White House and there will be a free drink for all shareholders in attendance.  We have had a busy year of infrastructure improvements which we would like to update you on, and the meeting provides an opportunity to gather feedback on areas we can continue to work on to improve.  

The rules of our Society specify that we need at least 10% of the membership to be present in order to be quorate. That equates to a minimum attendance of 48 shareholders, so please do make an effort to come along. If you are representing other family members who are shareholders, please obtain their permission beforehand and notify us when signing in.
The AGM is for shareholders only, so the pub will be closed to the general public during the meeting, but the bar will remain open both during and after the meeting.

All of the current members of the committee have expressed an interest to remain in post. If any shareholder would like to join the committee please email me at chair@bladoncommunitypub.org. Our Society rules dictate that we should have no more than 10 committee members. If this is exceeded we will take a vote at the AGM.

It’s been an eventful year at the White House, and this year’s AGM will be on Tuesday 7th March 2023 at 7.30pm. As last year, it will be held in the White House and there will be a free drink for all shareholders!
 
The rules of our Society specify that we need at least 10% of the membership to be present in order to be quorate. That equates to a minimum attendance of 48 shareholders, so please do make an effort to come along if possible.  The AGM is for shareholders only, so the pub will be closed to the general public during the meeting, but the bar will remain open both during and after the meeting.
 
Eight current members of the committee have expressed an interest to remain in post. If any shareholder would like to join the committee please email chair@bladoncommunitypub.org. Our Society rules dictate that we should have no more than 10 committee members. If this is exceeded we will take a vote at the AGM. 

It’s been a while since I have sent out an update on progress at the The White House, so I would like to highlight some of the upcoming activities at the pub, as well as give you an update on what the BCBS committee have been planning for the future.

Ben and the team have had a busy summer period, and have been able to attract new members of staff to join the front of house team.  Along with the regular weekly activities, there is now a monthly music quiz, and we have had Aunt Sally teams playing on both Wednesday and Thursday evenings during the summer.  This is a great boost to trade, and marks the return of the White House as a “proper” Oxfordshire pub!
On Sunday 27th August there will be a Summer Party hosted at the pub, with an all day BBQ, live music, a disco and Karaoke.  Games, including Aunt Sally and boules, will be hosted at the pub and recreation ground respectively.  It would be great to see a good turn out from the village to enjoy some late summer fun.  Our gratitude goes to Nicky Rogan for spearheading the organisation of this party.  

The committee has been active in prioritising various projects to maintain and improve the quality of the building and its facilities.  The rendering to the new extensions at the front and rear of the building has been completed, and have really helped to integrate them into the existing structures.  The improvements planned to the barrel store at the front of the pub should help to further improve the visual impact.  A major capital project has been approved to replace all the windows in the pub with new, energy efficient frames and glass.  These are designed to be sympathetic to the age and design of the pub, and will create an improved visual impact whilst improving heat retention in the winter.  
Further improvements are planned to the commercial kitchen where a new hot water system and wall coverings are required.  As a committee we strongly believe that continued investment in the pub infrastructure will create a better environment for customers and the staff, whilst also helping to protect the value of our investment.
The pub garden has been an attractive asset for the pub during the warmer months.  The committee members are keen to ensure that the current high standard of this area is maintained, and so will be organising working parties in the early autumn to complete some repairs and further enhance the outside area.  Please keep a look out for notices about this, as many hands make lighter work!

In the meantime, please enjoy what is left of the summer, and I hope as many of you as possible can get a chance to visit the pub in the coming weeks and months.  

As the weather has turned colder we are really seeing the benefits of the investments made to both the heating in the pub and the new double glazed windows. Early in the New Year we will be upgrading the hot water system for the kitchen, and also finishing the work on the interior of the cellar. This will mean that the pub will have to close for a few days (8th to 16th January) to enable this work to be completed safely.
Before this happens Ben and his team will be delighted to see you over the holiday period, and are hosting a New Years Eve party. All are welcome, and although the kitchen will be closed for the normal menu service, an optional buffet will be available for pre-booking.
A few weeks ago a working party of volunteers made some repairs and improvements to the garden area, and we will be requesting additional help in early Spring to get the outside area ready for what we hope will be a busy summer period.
I also would like to take this opportunity to give you advanced warning of the BCBS Annual General Meeting, which will be held in the White House on March 5th 2024, starting at 7 pm. As with this years AGM, the Committee will be offering a complementary welcome drink and we would love to see as many of you as possible at the meeting.
Finally, I would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year, and look forward to seeing as many of you as possible in the White House over the next few weeks and months.

As December gallops on, we wanted to send seasons greetings to everyone and let you know what’s going on at the White House over the festive period:

Wednesday Dec 21st 
Christmas Quiz night, starting at 8pm
Get your Christmas jumpers out, the cheesier the better 
 
Thursday Dec 22nd
Christmas coffee morning, families welcome, from 10am onwards
 
Friday Dec 23rd
Christmas party 
Children’s Christmas tea & Santa visit with present, starting at 6pm, £10 per child (please pre-book)
 
Christmas Eve
Festive fun, all welcome
 
Christmas Day
Open for drinks 12 to 3pm
 
Boxing Day
Brunch served and open as normal for drinks
 
New Year’s Eve
Ticketed £10 buffet (please pre-book)
Glitter & Sparkle party, dress to impress 
Open to locals for drinks

All bookings should be made directly to the White House

After all their hard work, Ben and the team will be taking a well-earned rest from Jan 9th, when the White House will be closed. It will reopen again on Jan 14th, with 20% off food for the rest of January.

Dear Shareholders,  
 

After two days of hard graft by Ben Bullen and his team they are now ready to start service at the White House from this evening (Friday 8th July), and will be open over the weekend.  For the first few days they will be serving drinks only, as there is still some work on going to get the kitchen back up and running.  This includes some improvements we are having done early next week to the electrics into the kitchen.

Ben is planning to start food service later next week, so please keep an eye on postings on social media and notices outside the pub for further information.  With the lovely weather forecast over the next few days, I hope to be able to see some of you enjoying the hospitality on offer as we welcome Ben and the rest of the White House team on their new venture.  

Best regards,

John Anson Chair – Bladon Community Benefit Society