Entertainment & Events

Could the ‘new normal’ mean game over for competitive socialising venues?

06-Oct-2020 By Stuart Stone

From darts and touch screens to shuffleboard pucks, the average competitive socialising venue is armed to the teeth with more potential fomites than you can shake a crazy golf putter at.

'We need help': operators struggle after socialising bans

06-Oct-2020 By Emily Hawkins

A raft of localised coronavirus measures have come into effect across different parts of the country in the past fortnight. Here's how The Morning Advertiser's readers described their impact so far.

MA500

Christmas isn’t cancelled, as long as you do it right

01-Oct-2020 By Nicholas Robinson

Christmas celebrations in pubs, as long as coronavirus guidance and rules don’t re-escalate, will happen and could be lucrative for operators who get it right.

Pubs banned from playing loud music

28-Sep-2020 By Emily Hawkins

The pub sector was not adequately consulted on extra restrictions on pub music volumes, a trade association has said.

'Not sure we'll make it to spring'

28-Sep-2020 By Emily Hawkins

Publicans have said they experienced some of their worst trading days on record at the weekend after stricter coronavirus measures came into force.

The Great British Pub Awards - Pub Heroes

The winners of the Great British Pub Awards - Pub Heroes 2020 revealed

24-Sep-2020 By The Morning Advertiser

The vital role that pubs play for their local communities has been reinforced by the amazing stories revealed in the Great British Pub Awards 2020.

The Great British Pub Awards - Pub Heroes

The Keel Row wins Feeding the Community at the Great British Pub Awards

24-Sep-2020 By The Morning Advertiser

With supermarkets running dry and food banks struggling, pubs became so important to keeping the community fed and The Keel Row was a great example.

The Great British Pub Awards - Pub Heroes

The Bowgie Inn wins Staff Welfare at the Great British Pub Awards

24-Sep-2020 By The Morning Advertiser

It wasn’t just communities affected by the lockdown, pubs also had to think of the welfare of their staff.

The Great British Pub Awards - Pub Heroes

The Crown Inn wins Sheltering the Community at the Great British Pub Awards

24-Sep-2020 By The Morning Advertiser

For pubs with rooms the lockdown was devastating to their business, but many operators recognised the need to help shelter the vulnerable and needy.

The Great British Pub Awards - Pub Heroes

The Victoria Inn is Punch Pubs Pub Hero at the Great British Pub Awards

24-Sep-2020 By The Morning Advertiser

Lockdown hit communities hard, but for pubs like the Victoria in Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, it was an opportunity to shine.

The Great British Pub Awards - Pub Heroes

The Fox at Peasemore wins Community Services at the Great British Pub Awards

24-Sep-2020 By The Morning Advertiser

Isolation, anxiety and lack of access to services were key problems during lockdown, and an area that many pubs were able to help with, especially The Fox at Peasemore.

The Great British Pub Awards - Pub Heroes

The Spread Eagle wins Pub Shop at the Great British Pub Awards

24-Sep-2020 By The Morning Advertiser

Shopping became a huge challenge for many people during lockdown and pubs rallied round to help and the Spread Eagle in Bolton was no exception.

The Great British Pub Awards - Pub Heroes

The Mowden Hotel wins Ei Pub Partnerships Pub Hero at the GBPAs

24-Sep-2020 By The Morning Advertiser

Delivering over 10,000 free meals to struggling locals, the Mowden Hotel roped in the whole family to keep the community going during lockdown.

The Great British Pub Awards - Pub Heroes

The White Horse wins Community Mindfulness at the Great British Pub Awards

24-Sep-2020 By The Morning Advertiser

Keeping people connected is a vital service pubs do day in day out, but lockdown posed challenges for that, but for pubs like the White Horse, being shut wasn’t going to stop them reaching out.

Great British Pub Awards - Pub Heroes

The Clifton Arms is Admiral Taverns Pub Hero of the Year

24-Sep-2020 By The Morning Advertiser

The Clifton Arms is a superb example of the many pubs that refused to let the lockdown disconnect them from their community.

The Great British Pub Awards - Pub Heroes

The Nook wins Business Continuity at the Great British Pub Awards

24-Sep-2020 By The Morning Advertiser

Many pubs refused to simply shut up shop during lockdown and instead looked for ways to keep their businesses afloat.

The Great British Pub Awards - Pub Heroes

The Hare and Hounds wins Star Pubs & Bars Pub Hero at the Great British Pub Awards

24-Sep-2020 By The Morning Advertiser

Putting customers first was a hallmark of great pubs during the lockdown, and the Hare and Hounds in West Ardsley, Yorkshire was no exception

The Great British Pub Awards - Pub Heroes

The Portsmouth Arms wins wins Charity Champion at the Great British Pub Awards

24-Sep-2020 By The Morning Advertiser

Charity is often at the heart of many pubs and this was not something that was forgotten during lockdown, particularly at the Portsmouth Arms.

The Great British Pub Awards - Pub Heroes

The Fountain Inn named Greene King Pub Hero of the Year at Great British Pub Awards

24-Sep-2020 By The Morning Advertiser

As the lockdown bit hard into vulnerable members of the community, pubs were fortunately on hand to ensure they were not forgotten and the Fountain Inn at Aberfeldy, Perthshire went above and beyond.

The Great British Pub Awards - Pub Heroes

The Swan wins for Keeping the Community Entertained at the Great British Pub Awards

24-Sep-2020 By The Morning Advertiser

Entertainment is a key part of the pub mix and with people struggling during lockdown, many pubs reinvented their offer into the digital space, but none quite as well as The Swan.

The Great British Pub Awards - Pub Heroes

The Golden Lion Inn wins Front Line Services award at the Great British Pub Awards

24-Sep-2020 By The Morning Advertiser

With the lockdown inspiring a supermarket scramble, front line workers were missing out on the opportunity to feed their families - fortunately, The Golden Lion Inn was able to step in.

GBPA Pub Heroes

What time do the Great British Pub Awards start tonight?

24-Sep-2020 By Ed Bedington

Tonight will see a celebration of some of the most inspiring pub operations across the UK as we unveil the winners of the Great British Pub Awards Pub Heroes 2020.

opinion

'Guests as safe at 11pm as as at noon'

22-Sep-2020 By Cheryl Hickman, the Bull at Barton Mills, Suffolk

We have been following all of the guidance to keep our team and customers safe from the beginning. We’ve faced abuse from people who think it’s all a load or rubbish and had to turn people away that refused to give details - not by law, by choice.

Local restrictions ‘hard pill to swallow’

18-Sep-2020 By Emily Hawkins

Publicans have reacted to local restrictions with one saying he felt penalised for others’ negligence to follow rules properly.

Analysis

Students 'frustrated' with nights out ending at the pub

16-Sep-2020 By Emily Hawkins

Online classes and regular coronavirus testing are not the only changes for students heading back to university this autumn, with clubs closed for the foreseeable future and new laws limiting social gatherings.

Watch: The Great British Pub Awards – Pub Heroes

How to watch the GBPAs for free

14-Sep-2020 By Nicholas Robinson

The finalists have been announced, the votes cast and we’re ready to reveal the Pub Heroes of this year’s Great British Pub Awards (GBPA).

Low2NoBev2021 dates and venue revealed

14-Sep-2020 By MA Editorial

Trade show Low2NoBev2021 has been developed to help drive the low and no alcohol sector forward through immersive experiences, insights and thought leadership.

17 gastropubs help raise more than £100k for Estrella Damm NRA Auction

10-Sep-2020 By MA editorial

The Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards Top 100 Auction has raised over £117k for industry charity Hospitality Action.

Covid-secure trading 'a very different way of working' says GBPA winner

08-Sep-2020 By Emily Hawkins

The operator behind the Great British Pub Award winning Chaplin’s and The Cellar Bar has described his first week of reopening as having exceeded trading expectations.

Analysis

‘Difficult customers a minority’

04-Sep-2020 By Emily Hawkins

Since reopening, many pub operators have taken to social media to lament experiences of customers being rude to pub staff or leaving unreasonable reviews online.

Pubs 'should not host karaoke'

02-Sep-2020 By Emily Hawkins

Pubs should still not host karaoke events amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has advised.

Seaside cities boosted by Eat Out to Help Out footfall

21-Aug-2020 By Emily Hawkins

Seaside communities have been the biggest benefactors of the Government's discount meals scheme while it has been less effective in bigger cities, according to new analysis.

Meet the GBPA Pub Heroes finalists - Star Pubs & Bars Pub Hero

18-Aug-2020 By Ed Bedington

Pubs across the UK have achieved some amazing successes despite the impact of the pandemic and the lockdown, and Star Pubs & Bars tenants were no exception.

Meet the GBPA Pub Heroes finalists - Sheltering the Community

17-Aug-2020 By Chris Lowe

Pubs across the UK found themselves with unused rooms and spaces when the country went into lockdown at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, but wanted to utilise these uninhabited areas to benefit their communities.

Meet the GBPA Pub Heroes finalists - Feeding the Community

17-Aug-2020 By Ed Bedington

Food has become a vital part of many pubs offer, and with the lockdown underway, many pubs shifted to not only run takeaway services, but also provide free meals to vulnerable people.

Meet the GBPA Pub Heroes finalists - Keeping the Community Entertained

17-Aug-2020 By Ed Bedington

Entertainment is a key part of our society, and with people suffering under the lockdown pubs up and down the country reached out to their communities to help connect and provide amusement and welcome relief.

Meet the GBPA Pub Heroes finalists - Admiral Taverns Pub Hero

17-Aug-2020 By Ed Bedington

Pubs across the UK showed their true worth during the coronavirus epic, and Admiral Taverns tenants were no exception.

Meet the GBPA Pub Heroes finalists – Community Services

17-Aug-2020 By Nikkie Thatcher

One positive thing that came out of the coronavirus lockdown was the incredible community spirit people across the nation showed and pubs highlighted how important they are, even when their doors were closed.

Meet the GBPA Pub Heroes finalist - Ei Publican Partnerships Pub Hero

17-Aug-2020 By Ed Bedington

Pubs across the UK have struggled to adapt to the challenges the corona crisis created, but many not only adapted but thrived, and Ei Publican Partnership operators were no exception.

Meet the GBPA Pub Heroes - Punch Pub Hero

17-Aug-2020 By Ed Bedington

The corona crisis gave pubs across the opportunity the opportunity to shine, despite the challenges they faced, and Punch Pub tenants were quick to step up to the mark.

Meet the GBPA Pub Heroes finalists - Greene King Pub Hero

17-Aug-2020 By Ed Bedington

Challenging times often brings out the best in people and businesses, and the lockdown certainly proved that in the pub sector, with Greene King tenants outdoing themselves.

Meet the GBPA Pub Heroes finalists - Front-Line Support

17-Aug-2020 By Stuart Stone

One of the key difficulties faced during lockdown was supporting front-line workers, and pubs did not shy away from the challenge.

Meet the GBPA Pub Heroes finalist - Pub Shop

17-Aug-2020 By Ed Bedington

As the corona crisis began to take hold basic supplies started to prove challenging to source, until pubs stepped in.

Meet the GBPA Pub Heroes finalists – Business Continuity

17-Aug-2020 By Nicholas Robinson

Despite all the odds, hundreds of pubs continued to trade during the coronavirus pandemic lockdown, with many of them not only maintaining decent sales through diversification, but also managing to serve the needs of their communities.

Meet the GBPA Pub Heroes finalists - Community Mindfulness

17-Aug-2020 By Emily Hawkins

Pubs stepped in to ensure the mental wellbeing of their communities as the coronavirus pandemic brought with it unprecedented challenges for people in all walks of life.

Meet the GBPA Pub Heroes finalists - Charity Champion

17-Aug-2020 By Ed Bedington

Pubs are well known for their support of charities, raising many millions of pounds a year, and while lockdown might have threatened their businesses, many operators continued to champion those charitable causes.

Great British Pub Awards Pub Heroes 2020 voting closes at midnight

17-Aug-2020 By Ed Bedington

Though 50,000 votes have already been cast in the 2020 Great British Pub Awards, the public still has until 23:59 on Wednesday 26 August to pick their Pub Heroes.

Meet the GBPA Pub Heroes finalists - Staff Welfare

17-Aug-2020 By Emily Hawkins

There has been no greater time of uncertainty for those working in the pub sector and the coronavirus pandemic saw teams separated and facing a daunting future during lockdown.

Seated audiences, no singing: what are the rules for live music?

14-Aug-2020 By Emily Hawkins

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced that indoor performances with socially distanced audiences will be allowed from Saturday 15 August. What are the rules for live music venues?

Music fans can fight back against closures with new brews

05-Aug-2020 By Emily Hawkins

A brewery has launched a series of beers to support a campaign to save small music venues across the country as they remain closed because of coronavirus restrictions.