'Second home' pub opens as a warm space

17 hours ago 16

Kate BaldockNewport, Shropshire

BBC Landlady Emma Holmes standing behind the bar smiling into the camera, photo is taken behind the bar with the taps to the left and spirits on shelves to the right. BBC

Landlady Emma Holmes said she would always make sure the pub was there for the community

A pub has said it opened as a "warm space" for locals after hearing "upsetting" stories from customers who found it cheaper to be there than to heat their homes.

The Pheasant, in Newport, Shropshire, posted on social media offering "warmth without worry" and saying people deserved to be warm and dry in a "community hub".

Warm spaces are often run by community groups where people can find company and hot drinks during cold weather to combat heating bills and loneliness.

Pub regular, Michael Tucker, 79, said: "It is my second home, the house is empty, my wife is in a home. So I come down and get some nice company."

He added: "I do not have to have the house red hot, I just come here and it's lovely and warm, you know, all the time."

The pub's social media post said: "We want to be somewhere you can walk into, always see a familiar face and where it's warm enough you don't need to leave your coat on. Bring yourself a sandwich if you want to."

Pub regular Michael Tucker has swept-back white hair and is sitting at a table reading a paper with a pint of beer, and is looking up to the camera smiling. He is wearing a leather jacket and is sitting on a red sofa in front of the window.

Michael Tucker, 79, said everybody made him feel welcome

Emma Holmes runs The Pheasant with her husband Ben.

She said: "The cost of living is going up more, it is something we are hearing more when people say how warm it is in the pub.

"And genuinely, we have heard people say how much cheaper it is to come in and have a few drinks and stay warm and speak to their friends, than stay at home and put the heating on.

However, she was clear there would be no requirement to buy a drink: "We want to be a community hub and help anyone out."

Rob Williams visits the pub most afternoons and has his spot by the window and, more importantly, near the radiator.

About the licensees' social media post, he said: "It means I do not have to turn on the gas for half a day, I don't have to turn the electric for half a day and I am nice and warm and snug.

"I am interacting with people, it is good for your mental state, it is very good."

A woman and two men are sitting together looking into the camera smiling. Both men have short white hair, while the woman has long brown hair. Rob in the middle is wearing a red checked shirt and there is a pint of beer on the table.

Becky Machesney, Rob Williams and Gary Dudley are all regular customers

That is something that Emma recognises: "If someone lives on their own, it is a lot to go 24 or 48 hours without speaking to anybody else.

"Some of them just come in and read the newspaper with a pint, but they are welcome to do what they want in here really!"

Rob Dudley is also a regular and said, "It is brilliant, it is like Cheers and the beer is pretty cheap, the sport is always on and everyone feels comfortable.

"Newport is a lovely town, I have lived here all my life. We come here have a laugh and bar staff are always brilliant.

"I mean the bar staff here carry the beer over to the older chaps. You do not get that in many pubs but this pub is great, that is why we are here."

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