Double decker bus scoops extra sales
A ice cream parlour is helping boost sales at a Daniel Thwaites pub in Lancashire.
Licensee Ron Lambton has transformed a vintage double decker bus into an ice cream parlour in the pub's car park at the Britannia Inn, Oswaldtwistle.
The parlour, called Grandma Dolly's, serves a selection of ice cream and sweets. All seats on the 1981 Leyland Olympian bus's top deck have been removed and turned into a play area featuring chalkboards and play equipment.
An ice cream freezer has been installed on the bus, offering a selection of seven flavours from Mrs Dowson's ice cream company, also based in Lancashire.
The ice cream is served in bowls and cones. Flavours include banana, mint choc chip, treacle & banana, and vanilla & strawberry. It is priced at £1 a scoop, £1.50 for two and £2.40 for three. Families can enjoy ice cream at tables on the lower deck. A selection of sweets including M&Ms, jelly beans, cola bottles and Haribos are also sold, which are displayed in jars and served to children in paper bags.
Lambton, who has been a licensee for 40 years, said: "It's a great space for children to hang out and have some fun. We've had to make sure it complies with health and safety legislation, so parents can relax, knowing children have a safe, fun environment in which to play.
"With the licensed trade feeling the force of the recession, I need to be more creative than ever to entice customers into my pub. In tough times, you've got to look at ways of diversifying."
