Entertainment & Events

Shining a light: this category highlights the businesses that pivoted amid the pandemic

Great British Pub Awards

Are you a GBPA Hero? Business Continuity

By Ed Bedington

Lockdown hit pubs first and hardest, and while many operators were forced to shut up shops and weather the storm, some managed to pivot their operations and keep on trading.

Celebration time: the awards aim to highlight top businesses

Great British Pub Awards

Are you a GBPA Hero for Keeping the Community Entertained?

By Ed Bedington

Pubs have long played a key role in providing entertainment, from gigs to quizzes, and during lockdown they continued to keep the many struggling people in isolation entertained. Were you one of those pubs?

Pub awards: this category celebrates pubs that have supported front line workers

Great British Pub Awards

Are you a GBPA Hero? Front Line Support

By Ed Bedington

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

Reopening unlikely: news of Government support for grassroots music venues will be welcome news for sites such as the Fiddler's Elbow in north London

Grants of up to £80k for music pubs

By Emily Hawkins

Grassroots music venues at immediate risk of permanent closure will receive £2.25m emergency funding, the Government has announced.

Food for thought: the Great British Pub Awards are open for entries

great british pub awards

Are you a GBPA Hero? Feeding the Community

By Ed Bedington

Pubs are a vital lifeline for many in the community and despite the challenges of lockdown, many pubs continued to provide meals to vulnerable people.

Helping the community: pubs have until Friday 24 July to enter the awards

Great British Pub Awards

Are you a GBPA Hero? Community Services

By Ed Bedington

The corona crisis saw pubs come into their own within their local communities, stepping up to ensure vulnerable people were looked after.

Community offer: many pubs turned into shops during the coronavirus pandemic and we want to hear from them

Great British Pub Awards

Are you a GBPA Hero? Pub Shop

By Ed Bedington

When the chips were down and supplies were running low, pubs stepped up to ensure their communities were kept fed and watered, and now The Morning Advertiser (MA) is looking to recognise that.

Charity category: pubs have until Friday 24 July to enter the awards

Great British Pub Awards

Are you a GBPA Hero? Charity Champion

By Ed Bedington

Charity is a key part of most pubs’ DNA, and despite the challenges the corona crisis has thrown at the sector, pubs have continued to do their bit.

Team safety: the category will celebrate pubs that have gone above and beyond to look after their staff

Great British Pub Awards

Are you a GBPA Hero? Staff Welfare

By Ed Bedington

Staff welfare has been vital as the pub sector weathered the corona crisis storm, and now The Morning Advertiser (MA) is looking to recognise those operators that did a fantastic job looking after their staff.

Slow sales: as expected, pubs experienced a drop in like-for-like sales in their reopening week, according to CGA data

Reopening week sees 40% sales dip

By Emily Hawkins

Pub groups reported collective like-for-like sales down almost 40% on the same week last year for their reopening week, according to data from Coffer Peach Business Tracker.

'Heartless': the managing director of Bath Pub Company has said no-shows are 'beyond belief' given the struggle of the pub trade because of Covid-19

Pub boss slams 'damaging and heartless' no shows

By Emily Hawkins

The head of a city-based pub group was left feeling “incredulous” following a number of no-show bookings on the first weekend of trading after the Covid-19 shutdown.

Enter now: entries for this year's Great British Pub Awards close on 24 July

Great British Pub Awards

Hunt is on for GBPA lockdown pub heroes

By Ed Bedington

The hunt is on for the true pub heroes of the coronavirus crisis as part of a one-off Great British Pub Awards.

How are pubs gearing up for opening?

Cautious approach for pub opening

By Ed Bedington

With just one day to go until pubs are able to start opening their doors, the race is on to get ready and compliant with the Government guidelines.

How can small pubs operate under the Government guidance?

Big challenges for small operators

By Ed Bedington

While the news that distancing measures were being relaxed from 2m to 1m is being celebrated, for some operators, even 1m is going to be a challenge.

Impossible to reopen: one publican said he felt there was 'no light at the end of the tunnel' with theatre lovers reluctant to return

Theatre pubs 'stepping into the unknown'

By Emily Hawkins

Theatre pubs are facing an existential threat as the possibility of reopening this summer looks slim, operators have told The Morning Advertiser (MA).

How can pubs continue to provide live entertainment?

The show must go on...

By Ed Bedington

Live entertainment has long been a pub sector staple, and although lockdown is still underway operators are continuing to find ways to entertain punters.

Online alternatives: publicans have been encouraged to look at how to incorporate online events with social distancing

#unitedwestand

‘Keep online quizzes local and true to life’

By Emily Hawkins

Jay Flynn, whose Virtual Pub Quiz broke a Guinness World Record earlier this month, shared his tips on running a successful online pub quiz, which include keeping question topics accessible and using word-of-mouth marketing.

Safety fears: Chinese cities have opened up bars and restaurants again but many have said they feel hesitant to visit

#unitedwestand

Consumer confidence in China highlights challenge for UK pubs

By Emily Hawkins

Insight tracker CGA has revealed the attitudes of Chinese consumers towards eating and drinking out of home, meaning UK pubs can look to their international peers for an idea of how the public will feel about visiting in the months after reopening.

Strong support: the Horse & Jockey in Melling has been delivering hot meals and prescriptions to the vulnerable

#unitedwestand

Pub volunteer taskforce ‘not going anywhere’

By Emily Hawkins

An operator who was the architect behind his village’s volunteer scheme to help the vulnerable has said he hopes the pub’s presence will secure its future.

Trade tragedies: pubs have never been closed by the Government before (image: Hall and Woodhouse)

Historical adversity

‘Lessons to be learned from the past’

By Emily Hawkins

From Spanish Flu to world wars, nothing has affected the great British pub as much as Covid-19 but is there something to be learned from how the trade coped during previous setbacks?

Tuned in: United We Stream has raised more than £250,000. Pictured Andy Burnham (left) and Sacha Lord

#Unitedwestand

Apply for United We Stream’s £260,000 Covid-19 relief fund

By Stuart Stone

Pubs, bars and music venues in Greater Manchester can now apply for additional Covid-19 funding after the region’s live gig platform, United We Stream, raised more than a quarter of a million pounds in its first month.

Emotional night: operator Kevin Shepherdson has described last orders at his pub, the Old Horse

#unitedwestand

Shutdown is ‘a strange new experience for us all’

By Emily Hawkins

Operator Kevin Shepherdson is usually the one asking customers how they are doing, however, in this uncertain time for pubs, roles have reversed and his regulars have been calling up to check in.

Home for heroes: pub operators reveal why they have offered their rooms to front-line NHS staff for free

#unitedwestand

Pubs encouraged to lend rooms to desperate NHS workers

By Emily Hawkins

Publicans have said turning their spare rooms into accommodation for NHS workers is an easy way for them to give back to their community and encouraged others to do the same.

Roller coaster of emotions: operator Brendan Padfield shares his experiences of the past fortnight

#unitedwestand

‘Hoping for the best but preparing for the worst’

By Brendan Padfield

Brendan Padfield usually spends his days running the award-winning Unruly Pig pub in Bromeswell, Suffolk. Here, he shares his thoughts about the realities faced by publicans.

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