Everards spends £250k on Project William pub

Leicestershire-based brewery Everards has spent £250,000 revamping the Final Whistle in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, which includes a railway platform.

The former Newcastle Arms is Everards' latest Project William pub, which allows the tie to be relaxed on cask ale.

The brewery transformed the car park into an outdoor seating courtyard shaped to look like a 1920s railway platform, with the original track from the now closed Southwell rail line running directly through the courtyard area.

Licensee Paul Fletcher said: "It's now a pub for the whole community and we have started to see a whole new range of customers coming in. Even some of the neighbours, who were a little sceptical of the The Final Whistle at first, have been in and in some cases are now regulars."

Everards managing director, Stephen Gould, added: "The new look and identity has helped transform the building and additional features such as the railway platform courtyard area, really mark it out as a unique and high quality establishment."

Project William is a scheme pioneered by Everards in 2007, whereby the company teams up with local breweries and publicans to transform struggling or closed pubs into thriving ale houses. The agreement means Everards relaxes its tie on cask-conditioned ales.