Herefordshire pub which reopened during Covid talks about future

Now in England, face masks are no longer required in most public settings, including pubs, and self-isolation laws have come to an end – but people are still advised to do so if they test positive.

Bringing a country pub back from a five-and-a-half-year hiatus wouldn't necessarily be the first thing most people would think of during Covid, but Paul and Debra English reopened the Kings Head at Docklow, near Leominster, last year.

Business thrived during the summer months, with customers taking advantage of the warm weather with the large amount of outside space and newly installed pods to eat and drink in.

Mr English said: "The outside space we have available has been an absolute godsend. It allowed us to host a lot more customers than would have otherwise been possible."

He went on to praise the locals for getting behind the new venture.

"We have been tremendously supported by the local community. We may only have 90 households around us, but I reckon a big percentage of them have been in this pub at some point in the past 9 months."

Trade was starting to revert to something near normality when news of the new variant started to break before Christmas.

The festive period became known as the "Lost Christmas" after data from UK hospitality revealed a 60 per cent drop in sales on Christmas Day compared to 2019, as the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant kept people at home.

"Omicron was a real kick in the guts. It frightened a lot of people. We had three busy Christmas parties cancelled which hit us massively," he said.

However, since these restrictions have been lifted, they have certainly noticed a change.

"January is always quiet, but we are noticing people starting to return and hopefully we can have a great year ahead."

Tim Simpson at the White Swan in Eardisland. Picture: Michael Eden

At the White Swan in Eardisland, also near Leominster, landlord Tim Simpson is no stranger to the difficulties with both producing and selling beer.

Sales of beer in pubs in 2021 were down more than a third on pre-pandemic levels, according to industry figures out last month.

Alongside the pub, Mr Simpson and his wife Lorna run their own brewery called Simpson's Fine Ales.

But they have had to throw away at least 40 barrels over the last year and a half due to lack of custom.

The loss of Christmas trade was also a big blow.

Mr Simpson said: "The last year and a half has been pretty crazy and has definitely had an effect on everybody."

Whilst the restrictions have certainly damaged the industry, and forced many pubs and restaurants to close, Mr Simpson can see a silver lining in the clouds.

He said: "Covid has obviously hit everyone very hard, but it has brought out a creative and entrepreneurial spirit in people which can only be a good thing. It's forced us to think outside the box."

North Herefordshire is reliant on the tourism industry. With more people choosing to spend the summer months in the UK, Mr Simpson is confident that people will be back once the weather starts to improve and the tourists return.

He said: "Summer was great for us last year, with us running events such as the Wassail which proved very popular. We have a lot of events planned for this summer, especially with the Queen's Jubilee celebrations in mind, and this should hopefully help us bounce back. Am I optimistic? Yes I am."