A beloved pub helping the community for 24 years has closed after a tough year for hospitality.

The Griffin pub on Bellingdon Road, Chesham, closed in September after a challenging time for many pubs and restaurants resulting from the aftermath of the Covid pandemic, rising costs and cost of living crisis affecting trade.

The pub’s landlady Pat Miller, who ran the place with her husband Steve, reduced the kitchen operating hours in January in a bid to cut costs brought by “increasing cost of gas, electric and the breweries putting the price of beer up,” she told the Free Press earlier.

Chairman of Mid-Chilterns CAMRA Jared Ward said: “It is devastating to hear of The Griffin’s closure. The closure of this much-loved local follows a worrying national trend which we hope can be slowed and reversed as businesses and customers come to terms with a tough operating environment which has been exacerbated by the cost of living crisis.

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“We lament the closure of The Griffin not just as a beer outlet, but also as a community hub, which most pubs have always historically been.

"We hope that a closure does not pre-empt change of use and hold hope that the premise can continue its history as a pub.

"Thank you to all the team at The Griffin for their hard work over the years, we’ll raise a glass to them.”

The Griffin and Pat were known for helping the community and combatting loneliness, including serving meals for senior citizens every second Wednesday of the month and during holidays like Easter.

Pat, who was at the helm of the pub since 1999, was awarded for all her efforts in April by then-mayor Majid Ditta.