​The Volunteer Inn in Harold Street reopened to customers on Saturday (January 31), after the doors were shut to customers at the end of 2025, with the tenants citing rising costs in their decision to call time. Now, a spokesperson for Star Pubs, part of the Heineken company, has confirmed that the establishment is back up and running. “We’re delighted that The Volunteer reopened on Saturday and is now open as normal,” they said. “It is drinks only to start with but food will be introduced again soon.” Read more: Just eight months before the closure, Star Pubs invested £225,000 in the “community-focused” pub, which included a refreshed exterior, new decor and seating, and a commercial kitchen. A skittles alley, which had been used for matches in the 1900s, was repurposed as a function room after becoming redundant, and was to be used for customers’ celebrations and as a meeting space. When announcing the news of the closure, the tenants said mounting costs and falling trade had forced them to close. “Despite doing everything we could to keep going, it is no longer sustainable for us to remain open,” they added.