The landlords of an award-winning village pub which unexpectedly shut have thanked residents for their support - as speculation lingers over the future of the boozer.

The George Inn in Newnham abruptly closed its doors in March after the financial pressure on husband and wife tenants Dave and Claire Elliott became too much for the couple to sustain.

Shepherd Neame, the owners of the business, confirmed the inn will remain closed until new tenants are found - with no clear timeframe as to when that could be.

Dave, who also worked as the pub’s chef, spoke of his sadness to be leaving but felt that the duo’s stint had been a success.

He told KentOnline: “For five years I lived the dream with Claire by my side making it work, we had a great time and in my eyes it was a success.

“We don’t want it to be a sob story because it isn’t. I’m gutted but we’ve had a cracking five years and we’ve made countless friends in our time.

“For us, it literally was our home and the customers were our bread and butter, it genuinely felt like inviting friends into your living room.

“We’re so thankful for the love and support we’ve had, a lot of people supported us and we’re glad we could create a homely atmosphere that people enjoyed drinking and eating at.”

Since taking over in June 2018 the pair had become integrated in Newnham, using the pub to host events such as music festival Georgefest and the annual village fete.

The 18th-century inn had also become a crucial part of the community during the pandemic, being used as a parcel drop-off point, a farm shop and launching a food delivery service.

But in December last year, the Taylor family announced they were set to depart the boozer in 2023 due to the pressures of the cost-of-living crisis.

And after experiencing a “financially drowning” start to the year, Dave and Claire made the decision to close up early with last orders coming in on March 5.

It was believed the duo planned to move out by around mid-May, with Shepherd Neame advertising the vacancy as early as January.

Dave, who has since moved his family into a home elsewhere in the village, spoke of his concern for the industry with seemingly no end in sight to the economic hardship.

“During Covid, Shepherd Neame were absolutely brilliant and I think everybody could see that,” said the 46-year-old.

“If it wasn’t for the way things are economically, we’d still be running it but things just doubled in price overnight and we had to sacrifice the business to pay our bills.

“But times are so hard, everyone is struggling and it’s hard to know for sure what to do or what could be done.

“I’ll be honest, I struggle to think of who would take over a pub in this time. It was financially drowning us.”

Faversham and Mid Kent MP Helen Whately paid tribute to the duo’s tenure at the pub, telling KentOnline Dave and Claire’s presence as village pub landlords would be sorely missed.

Helen had previously nominated the George Inn in the Pub Aid Community Pub Hero awards, which recognises licensees and teams who go the extra mile.

“This is such sad news. Dave and Claire have done so much for the local community and Newnham won’t be the same without them,” said Ms Whately.

“I am sure the whole village joins me in wishing them well, and I have no doubt they’ll make a huge success of whatever they go on to do.”

As well as this, the inn had previously won Heart of the Community Pub of the Year at Shepherd Neame’s 2022 Pub Awards for its service to the area.

Despite no news of who is set to take over the pub yet though, bosses at Shepherd Neame have been keen to reassure villagers the inn’s days are not done yet.

Greg Wallis, director of tenanted trade operations at Shepherd Neame, thanked the landlord couple for their service and confirmed the plans to keep looking for a new tenant.

He said: “David and Claire have done a fantastic job at The George Inn over the past five years.

“The George Inn is currently closed while we recruit new licensees to take over.

“As a popular destination dining pub, it is a great entrepreneurial business opportunity and we are confident that the business will be re-opening shortly.”