A POPULAR village pub has been listed as an Asset of Community Value, thanks to the efforts of a parish council.

Herefordshire Council recently listed the Moody Cow at Crow Hill, Upton Bishop, as an Asset of Community Value, following a nomination by Upton Bishop Parish Council.

The listing means that if the owner ever wanted to sell the pub, without a tenant in place, the community would be told and local groups could ask for time to put together a bid.

The listing does not change who owns the pub or how it is run.

The parish council agreed to nominate the pub in June, when the long-standing landlord Chris Burgess announced his retirement and no new tenant had yet come forward.

The parish council approved the application in July and forwarded it to Herefordshire Council, with evidence of the part the pub plays in village life, from supporting village events, hosting and maintaining the village defibrillator and providing space for village groups to meet.

Lee and Mary took over the Moody Cow in July, having signed a five-year lease with Stonegate, the owner of the building and the pub continues to open as usual.

There has been a pub on the site since at least 1871. Records from 1871 to 1939 name it the Lord Wellington, and it has been the Moody Cow since at least the early 1990s.

Cllr Mark Rusby, chairman of the parish council, said: "The Moody Cow has been at the heart of Upton Bishop for generations, and we are delighted that Herefordshire Council has recognised its value to the community. We wish the new tenants every success."

Assets of Community Value are listed by the local council under the Localism Act 2011. A listing normally lasts five years; the Moody Cow is listed until 12th October 2031.