Persons of Interest- New Manager at The Cedars

Regular visitors to The Cedars public house on Main Street, Evington may already have noticed a fresh face is now running the show, as the venue welcomed its new manager Audrey Mather earlier this year. Having taken up the role on 7th January, the new manager brings with her a wealth of experience in the licensed trade, as well as a having varied professional background.

Originally from Leicester and having grown up in Highfields and Whetstone, Audrey says it feels good to be working back in familiar surroundings.

Before moving into hospitality, she trained and worked as a social worker, having first studied criminology at university, which was her passion.

Reflecting on the move from social work into pubs and hospitality, she said the two roles are not as different as people might imagine. “Both are about people,” she explained. “You’re dealing with different personalities, different situations, and it’s important to be able to listen and interact well.”

Around twelve years ago, Audrey moved into the pub trade full time purchasing leases with her daughter and operating her own business. Since then, she has built up extensive experience managing and leasing several venues.

The Cedars, however, offers something a little different she says, “It’s a lovely old building with a lot of character,” ………. “There’s a good mix here, the restaurant side is very busy, particularly at lunchtimes, and there’s real potential to build up the social side in the evenings as well.”

To help bring more activity into the venue, she has already introduced a fortnightly disco evening, which runs from 5pm until 10pm every other Friday so as not to disrupt residents and comply with licencing requirements. She is also planning a Bangarra night towards the end of May, following requests from customers.

Looking further ahead, there is hope that live music evenings may also become part of the venue’s offering, although this will depend on customer demand and attendance making it a viable undertaking.

Audrey is settling well into life in Evington, describing it as a pleasant and well-connected area. “It’s a lovely part of Leicester, close to the park, close to town, Market Harborough and with a strong local community feel.”

As many local residents will know, The Cedars is a long-established and much-loved building, and improvements are currently being made both inside and out starting upstairs due to water damage. “We’re gradually working through everything,” she said. “With older buildings there are always things to sort, but it’s definitely moving in the right direction.”

Audrey lives on site with her Doberman, Kya, who she can be seen walking in the local area. Kya also has use of the roof terrace when Audry is working.

Away from work, family life remains important, with much of her spare time spent with her two grandchildren, aged 11 and 13 who come to stay with her and have their own rooms. She also takes them away on holiday with her to Turkey which they both feel is their favourite place, and Audrey simply ‘tags’ along.

She also has a love of live music and concerts, recently taking one of her grandchildren to their first major concert in Birmingham.

Audrey has one simple message for the people of Evington, “Please come in and give us a try. It’s a great local facility, the food is good, is value for money and it’s important that places like this are supported by their community.”

With summer approaching and new events being introduced, it looks as though The Cedars is set to remain a lively focal point for the village in the months ahead.