Mark and Alison Daniels

Let us introduce you to your hosts!

 Mark J Daniels MBII

Born in the North Yorkshire town of Redcar, Mark was raised in a family of entertainers.  The son of musician Trevor, and the nephew of magician Paul Daniels, Mark is a lively individual with a pertinacious personality and an entertaining sense of humour.  Mark originally wanted to be a journalist but ended up being an Estate Agent when he left school, before becoming a Fraud Investigator and then an Insurance Salesman.  Eventually he settled on a career spanning more than ten years as a Business Development Manager in IT, focusing predominately on Internet solutions, before he and his wife Alison took over as landlords of The Tharp Arms in the summer of 2005.  

As well as running the pub Mark is a member of the British Institute of Innkeepers and writes a regular blog for The Publican magazine.  You can read Mark's blog by clicking here.

Alison J Daniels

Alison is The Tharp's chief cook & bottle washer, as well as playing mum to her and Mark's two boys, Malachy (10) and Jacob (7), who both take an active interest in the pub.

Starting out life as a trained carpenter - yes, you are more likely to find Ali doing the DIY than Mark! - she eventually took up a career in the hotel industry, first as a call centre operator and then reception management before taking a career break to have children.

Today, Ali is an active member of the local school Governors and runs the School Council alongside her job as chef for the pub.  She is also the editor of the Chippenham & Snailwell Parish Magazine and a keen photographer.  When you visit the pub you'll find Ali's photographs adorning many of the walls.