The family who operate a village pub close to Grantham are taking on another venue, but they insist they are not leaving!

In a post on Facebook, Nick Holden, Kate Ahrens and Sophie Holden announced they have taken the lease of the Palmers Ale House and Kitchen in Long Sutton.

They describe it as "a stunning thatched gastropub in the main market square opposite the church."

The post continued: "Like the Geese & Fountain, it has a reputation for great food, seven B&B rooms (if we're being completely honest, some of the rooms at Palmer's are a bit fancier than ours), and a really great team of staff.

"We'll be adding the 'Geese & Fountain penchant for seeking out special drinks, whether that be organic wines, craft beer, small batch spirits or speciality soft drinks. We just know that a combination of Palmer's and the G&F is going to be something special."

The family insisted: "We're absolutely not leaving the G&F."

They continued: "Kate will still be running the kitchen here, as the Palmer's kitchen has a great team of chefs already. And Nick and Sophie will be dividing their time between here and Palmer's to ensure that both places continue to thrive.

"The only changes you might see here are that (a) we'll start offering some special deals that combine both places, so you can save money and have a break from the routine by popping over to Palmer's for a meal, or even a short break, and (b) you may sometimes meet some members of our Palmer's team here at the Geese & Fountain.

"We will be offering all our staff the chance to do some shifts at the venue they don't normally work at, it's good experience to try working somewhere else, and it's good for all the teams to get to know each other. But that will be a slow and gentle process."

They added: "Once everything is in place, keep your eyes peeled for the inevitable 'bus trip to Long Sutton and the sea', which we will arrange as soon as it is viable to do so.

"We will tell you more as soon as we possibly can."

Palmers Ale House and Kitchen was previously run by Sean and Dana Portass.

They commented on Facebook: "It is with an incredibly heavy heart that We have to tell you that we ( Sean and Dana) won't be running Palmers any longer. We have recently moved to Norwich, and it simply wouldn't work for us running it from long distance.

"We have had such a wonderful time renovating & running Palmers and the other local venues. However it is the end of the Long Sutton journey for us

"But please don't worry! Palmers is left in very capable hands! A lovely family is going to be re-opening shortly! (FB updates to follow) These guys have another venue, a very successful one!

"They are bringing some exciting changes to Palmers and we truly hope you welcome them with open arms!

"The A team are also staying, so you will be seeing familiar faces when you visit!

"Thank you all for all the support over the years in all the venues!

"Much love

"Sean and Dana "