The year of the fire horse!

Well, here we are, in 2026! Happy New Year to you all!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, it certainly feels like it was over in a flash. 

Firstly, I would like to apologise for the radio silence over the past few weeks. I have been trying to enjoy some much needed down time with family and friends over the festive season, as I’m sure most of you have been too. Christmas brings up a whirlwind of emotions for me and it can feel pretty exhausting, so I am now trying to embrace the slower pace and solitude the month of January tends to bring (although I will admit that I find this difficult).

I was recently told by a friend that 2026 is the year of the fire horse, beginning with the Chinese New Year on 17th February. Apparently, the year of the fire horse is set to bring dynamic, fast paced and transformative energy associated with action, freedom and bold change in Chinese mythology. I’ve got to be completely honest, I’m not usually massively into this kind of thing, but this information certainly got me thinking about what I want out of the year 2026. I’m not really a new year’s resolution type of guy, I think it possible to reflect, change and make goals at any point – it shouldn’t necessarily wait until the start of a new year. That said, I like the idea of ‘transformative energy’ as well as ‘action, freedom and bold change.’ I have no idea at present what this might look like, but it has set cogs in motion, which I believe to be a positive thing.

If you are into Chinese mythology, I would love to hear more about the year of the fire horse. I would also love to know if you are a new year’s resolutions kind of person and if so, do they work for you? What resolution(s) have you made this year? Send me an email and let me know!

I also wanted to take the time this week to thank our amazing teams for their efforts over the Christmas period. The festive season is one of the busiest times in Hospitality and very often, people give up time with their families and friends in order to be with and create memorable experiences for our guests. I have done this plenty of times myself, and it’s not always easy. I appreciate the sacrifices made by our wonderful people and their efforts, it does not go unnoticed. As a result, we will be closing all our sites on Monday 12th January for our annual staff party, which will hopefully be a chance for those team members who have been working super hard through the month of December to let their hair down and get their dancing shoes on! I have personally purchased a brand-new pair of dancing shoes and can only hope and pray that they do not let me down. The theme of this year’s part is ‘The Oscars’, so I’m looking forward to seeing some snazzy outfits.

To end this week’s newsletter, I just wanted to say please, please continue to support your village pubs and independent businesses. We need your support now more than ever!

Big Love

Mark