Mark, the landlord of the Fox & Hounds is originally from the Isle of Wight, however he has lived most of his life in the Village of St Brides Major.

Mark poured his first pint in the Fox & Hounds on his 18th Birthday (John Smiths he recalls!) on the 24th August 1996. It was this first job as a bar man that led to Mark falling in love with the industry.

For the following nine years Mark served as a barman. Four of these years were spent working for Glen and Yvonne Colman, eighteen months working as a pub manager for David Bellamy, and the last two working for Steve Kalinski. Mark learnt a great deal from his experiences and recognises that it was the start that Glen and Yvonne gave him that led to him being where he is today.

At the end of Steve's reign, Mark decided to move on and join the Wolverhampton and Dudley Brewery (now known as Marstons). This is where he could spread his wings and put all of the experience he had gained in the Fox & Hounds and further develop himself in pub management. After a three month course, Marks skills were utilised through being asked to manage a number of pubs. These varied in their location from Sutton Hill, Warwick and Bristol and some were flagship pubs for the company. After being 'on the road' for eighteen months, Mark felt the desire to look for his own pub. A number of opportunities arose, but when finding the Fox & Hounds was on the market there was no other pub for him. It took about six months for the sale to go through and on the 3rd July 2007, the Fox & Hounds was Mark's.

Mark was able to see the aspects that each landlord brought to the pub which worked well along with those which didn't work. It is this experience along with the additional skills that Mark has developed that has enabled the Fox & Hounds to offer the traditional but contemporary feel that it offers today.

Mark's first thought for the pub was to return it to the 'village local'. Previous landlords had tried a restaurant theme which in some ways had lost the emphasis of the village local. Mark's experience and understanding of the local people led him to refurbish the pub in a way that utilised it well. He converted the existing restaurant into the bar, with a pool table, dart board and juke box, while using the old bar as a lounge area which could accommodate food. A simple but traditional bar menu was conceived with the help of the in house chef, James Tilby, providing good home cooked 'pub grub' without paying restaurant prices.

Mark thanks his family (Barry, Sue and brother David) for the help and support they have given him to obtain the pub, and also would like to extend this thanks to the locals who helped and worked hard during the seven days of refurbishment. It was this support that led to the pub opening at 4 o'clock on Friday 10th July 2007 and Mark's dream becoming a reality.

In return for restoring the pub back to the 'village local', people have wholeheartedly supported him. Mark himself states that the "support of the village has been fantastic and hopefully this will continue ...this way the village will always have its local".