22/11/2025
What a great read! Well done James 👏🏼
"My name is James, I'm a publican and I've been in the license industry since since I was 14.
Very soon, we'll only have 3 businesses with Agenda being taken over in December. My first job was in the Burns Tavern as a kitchen porter under Jim McLeod, cutting my teeth as a kitchen porter. Then I was in the kitchen at 15 to front of house a year later. I then ended up as a trainee manager at McPhails at 18 before getting a job with Belhaven as a relief manager that took me all over the country. I returned to Fife to work under Lee Murray as his Operations Manager until 2014. I was the manager at the Laurel Bank for a spell too. Then in 2015, 10 days after my daughter was born, I heard The Windsor was coming up for sale so we went for it. We opened up the night Tyson Fury beat Klitchsko, which is scary to think that it was a decade ago! It wasn't long after that I was asked to take over her at Agenda. From then we've gone from strength to strength, which I put down to the people that I work with. They've been exceptional, and we try to employ from the local area as well. Then in 2018, we took over The Sunbeam in Kennoway which was our biggest refurbishment as well.
In 2020, the Pandemic came and my father and I were getting antsy, we wanted to do something. At that point, we were still with the Leven Rotary and we had a conversation about feeding the vulnerable in our community. We also collaborated with the Peoples Pantry and Levenmouth Foodbank, we were able to gather all this bulk food and prepare meals. We had a designated database as well to keep track of things, with all the information right down to allergens and whatnot. We did this for 4 months and it was one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. By summer, the pubs were reopening but we sadly suffered a great tragedy. Our chef and bar manager were killed in a car accident, both of them were great young men and it's a loss we still feel to this day. That hurt a few hearts, then we were hit with more restrictions. These were difficult on some of our staff, with a few having to leave because of the effect the lockdowns had on their mental health, which was understandable. To come back to facing the public after all that was difficult for so many people.
In recent years we've done great, I'd had my eye on the Bonnybank Inn and decided to go for it just over a year ago now. We came in and turned things around and wanted to restore it's good name. We've got a strong team in there, people I've worked with and we've got Kelly up there and big things are coming. The Windsor also got work done recently and continues to do well.
We will always try to give back though, we have our big farewell next Sunday and I'm a local boy. I'm Kennoway born and bred, I love living in this town, I was in Methil for years and now I'm in Buckhaven. We know everybody, they know us. The pandemic lit a fire under our bums as it did with many others forcing us to ask ourselves, "what could we do to help in our community"
What many businesses forget is that we wouldn't be able to operate without the people in front of the bar. If someone has a spare £20 in their pocket and they make a choice to visit one of our establishments, I appreciate that. We all do, all my staff do. They're giving that money to us and it costs nothing to give something back, a wee bit time and effort maybe. It's the locals that make it though, and we'll have so many of them in on the charity day next Sunday. They want to give back, help their community. Our Sunday regulars, John and a few others, they understand what's going on with the cost of living crisis so they'll be here that day doing all they can, alongside myself and all my staff, to help the people that need that support the most
That's what community should be after all"
Thank you to James for his time the other day, I've no doubt their big farewell will be a fantastic day, all for two brilliant local causes in the Levenmouth Community Foodbank and The Peoples Pantry.
James was also the first person I've photographed who asked me why I do this, you can see my story here; https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1ALj4HF7Ak/
Thanks ❤️
