LOCKDOWN WOULD FINISH US
GRIM WARNING FROM COVENTRY’S OLDEST PUB
THE landlady of Coventry’s oldest pub has warned that a second shutdown will be the end of the road for the business despite staff working “flat out” to keep it afloat.
The award-winning Old Windmill, in Spon Street, has already been struggling to overcome the impact of the 10pm curfew, which has reduced its trade by 30 per cent.
The Prime Minister is now reportedly drawing up plans to order pubs and restaurants across northern England to close in an effort to arrest a rapid increase in Covid19 cases.
Coventry is among places where coronavirus rates are also rapidly increasing, and any similar decision here under a ‘three tier lockdown’ system is likely to have a devastating impact on the pub trade.
Landlady Michelle Gilmour and her staff have already tried everything in their power to survive after reopening the 15th century, CAMRA-COMmended pub in July.
She said: “It would be final nail in the coffin. We came out of lockdown with the motto of ‘adapt or die’ and spent money on outdoor spaces, including shelters and heating, as well as all the necessary precautions such as personal protective equipment.
“We all worked flat out and we’d finally got to a point where we were not making a loss and doing enough to survive. Then the 10pm curfew was brought in.
“We are a wet-led, city centre pub and it wiped out 30 per cent of trade in one go. If there is another shut down now I can’t see how we could continue without proper support from the Government and the pubco’s.”
MPS are due to vote on the 10pm curfew on Monday (October 12), with Boris Johnson fac
ing a rebellion from within Tory ranks. But the prospect of another complete pub shutdown is thought to be an imminent reality in the north under a simplified threetier local lockdown code, nicknamed the ‘Rule of 3’.
Michelle said: “We are tied to a pubco and we have had some support coming out of lockdown, including rent reductions, but it is not enough. We’re already doing everything we can to compensate for the changes and the loss of our regular entertainment and beer festivals.
“As well as the outdoor spaces we have been putting on food offerings, with the staff working really hard, not just being bar staff but becoming waiters, waitresses and cooks as well. The team has put everything in to see us out of this but we were already struggling before the 10pm curfew.
“We’re a 650-year-old pub that has survived wars, the Black Death, Spanish flu and a huge number of other crises, if we go down now the staff will be devastated and the customers will be devastated. But it’s not just us facing this. Without help from the Government there will be no pubs left in six months’ time.
“It’s scary but if you can’t smile through it you’ve already given up. We will keep fighting on but something needs to change soon or it will be the end for us and a lot other pubs.”
MPS want to see more evidence justifying the 10pm curfew and there are also concerns that it has led to people spilling out of bars at the same time, such as in Leamington at the weekend.
The new system reportedly comprises Tier 1, which will see current social distancing measures and the current rule of six enforced, Tier 2, a ban on households mixing and Tier 3, a hospitality lockdown.