People Make Places with Ripon Business Owners Kelly & Sara Hirst

Ripon Pride returns to the Black Swan Ripon on Westgate this Saturday (21st June) and promises to be bigger and better than ever! We recently spoke to Kelly & Sara Hirst from the award winning Black Swan about what it is like running such a well-loved Ripon business and here is what they had to say….

Why do you like doing business in Ripon?

Kelly: We came to Ripon from Leeds thinking we would not settle but then we made friends, the people here are lovely.

Sara: We moved here for the quiet life but it has been far from that!

Kelly: We wanted to bring life back into the Black Swan and I think we have certainly done that. We are particularly proud of bringing a family friendly Pride event to Ripon.

Sara: We have reached the final 3 of the National Bar & Pub Awards 2025 for North Yorkshire and are eagerly awaiting the result. The National Pub & Bar Awards celebrates the very best venues, people and service standards across the whole of the UK a voted for by the industry and we are really proud of this achievement.

Kelly: We are also the start and finish point for the Ripon Community Walking Group which gathers each Sunday at 10am for a family and dog friendly walk. We normally walk an easy 7-8 miles and finish up at the Black Swan where we lay on refreshments.

Sara: And we won a gold at Ripon in Bloom 2024!!

What is your favourite product in the pub?

Kelly: The shots! We have some exciting seasonal split shots and I really like the diversity.

 

What other business do you recommend in Ripon?

Kelly: If we ever get a chance to go out we love Portofino but also sometimes manage a “Sunday Sesh” and visit other pubs around Ripon with some of our regulars.

Sara: Talking Heads salon – Billy is superb at what he does, and I am loving the fact that his new premises are on our doorstep on Westgate.