East and West Midlands
Crown Inn
Oakengates, Telford, Shropshire
Variety is the spice of life at the Crown Inn. Hardly a day goes by without the lively town-centre freehouse staging an event to cater for all tastes.
Well-attended music nights and quizzes are only part of a programme of functions that John Ellis organises at the popular real ale outlet, which he has run since mid-1995.
He also provides the opportunity for his grateful customers to celebrate anything from St Arnold's Day (commemorating the patron saint of brewing) to American Independence Day.
The British Beermat Collectors' Society and the Oakengates Cheese Club members also put in a regular appearance at the Crown, although the highlights are the pub's twice-yearly beer festivals.
John claims it is the world's biggest pub-based, hand-pulled beer festival. Last time, a former regular made a special trip from Venice to join the 2,000 visitors.
John, whose wide-ranging musical functions often feature performers from Holland, Germany, America and Australia, also organises an Academy of Ale, which offers customers regular visits, talks and tutorial tastings by industry professionals such as brewers and maltsters.
Anything up to 250 days of events each year are organized; ensuring regular media attention for the pub, which has its own enticing publicity slogan: "So many beers, so little time."
John remarks: "These events are not just aimed at retaining our existing patrons, but at attracting new customers who will hopefully become regulars."
Carnival atmosphere
A plan to transform the pub's outside yard is just one of many projects on John's list of ways to benefit his regulars. He says they come not only for the beers, but also the "carnival atmosphere" created by the staff.
John adds: "Weekday trade includes a good range of retired customers, supplemented by people on their lunch break. Evening
and weekend trade consists of customers
of all ages and, as we do not tolerate bad
behaviour or language, the atmosphere is self-policing."
