The investment has been made across three sites in the Proper Pubs portfolio, Admiral’s award-winning community wet-led operator division.
Sheffield’s Silkstone Arms pubs, on Silkstone Road, reopened on Wednesday 18 December following a
The Silkstone Arms on Silkstone Road, Sheffield reopened on Wednesday 18th December following an almost £220,000 refurb.
Inside, the pub’s bar area has been revamped while new fixtures, fittings, flooring and furniture have been added throughout to refresh the pub’s overall look.
In addition, The Silkstone Arms benefited from the addition of a new dartboards.
Outside, the pub received updated signage and new lighting to brighten the exterior, with three new picnic benches added to its front terrace area.
Incredible transformation
Celebrating its new look, the pub hosted a live music performance from local duo, Cooper & Taylor, with entertainment continuing throughout the weekend.
The Silkstone Arms is operated by operator duo Thomas Wickstone and Thomas Furniss, who are both local to the area.
Wickstone and Furniss said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to be taking over the pub and have loved witnessing the incredible transformation over the last few weeks.
“The Silkstone Arms looks brilliant and it’s been a delight welcoming the community back and we can’t wait to meet as many more local residents as possible.”
Going forward, the operators are committed to supporting the community and will start by collecting food for a nearby food bank and raising funds to have a defibrillator installed.
They also hope to work closely with Scowerdons Community Centre, which is located next door to the pub.
Next to welcome customers back through the door was The Eagle in Braintree, Essex, following a £300k cash injection, the biggest of the three investments.
The pub is divided into two main areas inside – the bar and games zone – both of which have been refreshed.
Invaluable support
Meanwhile outside, the venue has benefited from a newly renovated beer garden complete with covered booths so it can be utilised throughout the year.
To celebrate the reopening on Thursday 19 December, The Eagle hosted a live performance from Leigh-on-Sea singer, Sam Sheridan, to welcome the community back.
Operator at The Eagle, Will Farrell, said: “The pub has undergone a complete internal and external transformation to refresh its overall look and feel just in time for locals to enjoy over Christmas.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at Proper Pubs and the incredible team at The Eagle for their invaluable support in helping to bring this vision to life as well as the local community for all their encouragement throughout this journey.”
Last to open was The Wonder in Oldbury, Sandwell, which reopened on Friday 20 December after a £255k refresh with operator Adam Riese at the helm.
Renovations at the venue included a completely refurbished bar area alongside new flooring, fittings fixtures and furniture throughout to give it a more modern and welcoming look and feel.
To celebrate the reopening, the pub welcomed customers back with lively Christmas music and a live DJ set over the weekend.
Proper Pubs operations director Matthew Gurney said: “The Wonder looks absolutely fantastic, and I couldn’t be prouder of the hard work and dedication the entire team has invested to ensure the pub is ready to welcome back its customers.
“I want to extend my best wishes to Adam and the entire team as they work to establish The Wonder a pillar of the local community.”
As part of the Proper Pubs division, all three pubs offer a range of regular entertainment and live sports alongside various drinks offers, including Wine Wednesday, where customers can get £2 off a bottle, Fizz Friday, offering customers a bottle of fizz for £10, along with cocktails, bottle and shot deals throughout the week.
