The Future of The Warren

The Warren has always been about more than a restaurant.

After nearly ten years, I’ve reached a point where I no longer want to run it day to day, but I also don’t want to sell it, close it, or see it lose its purpose.

I’m now exploring a way for The Warren to continue through community stewardship, with the operation held by a Community Benefit Society and my role shifting to that of guardian rather than operator.

Moving towards community stewardship

The sections below explain the thinking behind a possible next chapter for The Warren.

If you’d like to stay close to how this develops, there’s an option at the end to join a dedicated mailing list.

  • First, a genuine thank you for landing on this page.

    The Warren has been part of Carmarthen for nearly ten years, and the care so many people have shown for what it has been, and what it might become, means a great deal to me.

    As The Warren has grown, so too have its responsibilities and pressures. Carrying that alone is no longer sustainable. It has become clear that the future of The Warren needs to be held by more than one person.

    That is why I chose to pause, close the doors for a time, and create space to re-imagine what could come next.

  • I’m exploring moving The Warren into a Community Benefit Society (CBS).

    Under this model, the restaurant would be operated by a community-led organisation, with me stepping into a guardian role rather than returning as the day-to-day operator.

    A CBS is a legal structure designed to protect purpose, prioritise community benefit, and support long-term stewardship rather than ownership based on extraction or resale.

  • I don’t want to return to running The Warren day to day.

    At the same time, I don’t want to sell it, close it permanently, or see it lose the principles it was built on.

    What I do want is to see The Warren operating well, doing good work, and serving its community, without relying on my constant involvement.

    This is about long-term stewardship, not growth for growth’s sake or profit extraction.

  • A CBS allows:

    • The values and use of The Warren to be legally protected

    • Day-to-day operations to sit with an operator or team

    • Responsibility to be shared rather than concentrated

    • The space to remain rooted in community benefit

    This structure offers a way for The Warren to continue without depending on one person’s capacity.

  • I’ve created this page to:

    • Share the thinking openly and clearly

    • Explain what a CBS is and how it might work in practice

    • Invite people who feel aligned to stay close to the process

    This is an intentional and careful exploration. There is no fixed timeline, and no assumptions are being made about outcomes.

  • You may want to stay involved if you’re interested in:

    • Community-led food projects

    • Cooperative or alternative ownership models

    • Governance, finance, or operations in values-led organisations

    • Stewarding a place rather than owning it

    You don’t need to know yet how, or if, you’d be involved.

  • If you’d like to be kept in the loop as this idea develops, you can sign up below to a dedicated mailing list called The Future of The Warren.

    This list will be used to share updates, invite specific conversations, and explain possible next steps. It won’t be frequent, and there’s no obligation.

    👉 Join The Future of The Warren mailing list

“If you’d like to stay close to how this develops, you can sign up below.”