Celebrations for Charlie at The Swan, Marbury #Blog

Victoria Hayes
15th May 2023

Charlie Holden, 22, received sincere congratulations from his General Manager and Mentor, Tom Morgan-Wynne at The Swan at Marbury. Charlie finishes his Chartered Management Institute (CMI) apprenticeship at Manchester Metropolitan University at the end of this month.

Charlie undertook his studies whilst working at The Black Bear in Whitchurch and moved to The Swan at Marbury, one of its three sister pubs*, to widen his experience. He has recently been promoted to Assistant Manager and success with his CMI portfolio submission will earn him his cap and gown when he graduates at Bridgewater Hall in Manchester.

“Studying whilst working has been the best route for me,” says Charlie, “Tom is a perfect manager, and everyone is so supportive.”

At 16, Bishop Heber High School pupil, shy Charlie was twiddling his thumbs in the upstairs office of The Black Bear in Whitchurch, waiting for his mum to finish her shift as one of the Head Chefs. A busy evening resulted in him getting hauled in to “wash pots” and impressing his peers, he progressed to salad prepping and eventually became kitchen assistant. Charlie’s “can-do” attitude got him noticed and at 18, he was asked to cover the bar – feeling very unsure, but determined to “give it a try”, he stepped in and loved it. When the pub was taken over, Charlie was taken on, his cellar training got underway, and a ‘front of house’ career began.

Guided by Tom, Charlie has gathered extensive practical experience that feeds directly into his final assessment, which will mark the end of his four-year programme and, fingers crossed, land him his honours degree. Working long hours and studying, Charlie has had his work cut out to fit everything in, but he is no stranger to tough challenges. Tae Kwon Do black belt, Charlie has a proven record of enthusiasm and when he’s away from his studies, trains regularly at the gym. A reliable team player, sociable Charlie is popular with customers and staff, a rewarding reputation built since starting out in hospitality.

“Charlie deserves all his success, he’s very intelligent with lots of passion for the industry, he wants to learn and progress himself,” says The Swan at Marbury Manager, Tom, “I admire his work ethic, he’s genuinely caring and puts others first.

We aim to offer different experiences, to help and support our team through the degree programme, if they choose to take it,” says Tom.

“The next step is to make sure we apply Charlie’s new knowledge,” adds Tom – he’ll be offered more responsibility with a real opportunity to use the skills he’s gained. We want him to be able to use his best ideas and now he’s now ready to take on a more central role in staff management.”

Pubs Limited* is an award-winning family run business, with a culture of learning whilst working. Other staff members are following the same programme. The masterful management team work closely with each pub manager to move their staff around to offer them the best chance to develop work experiences as well as giving them time to study. As part of the training opportunities offered to staff, there is a great team spirit with a positive ethos to encourage junior staff to develop themselves, grow their knowledge and take up roles which best fit their skills.