City is ‘coming back to life’
Bath is “coming back to life”, a pub owner has said, as outdoor seating for bars and restaurants reopened on Monday.
The change came as part of the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown, which also allowed nonessential shops to resume trading, and gyms to open.
Myles Gallagher, landlord of Flan O’brien’s on Saw Close, was in great spirits as shoppers stopped for a pint on his beer terrace.
He said: “We’ve been closed for 159 days until today, but the city’s awake today, this is a city coming back to life.
“The 15 people we employ have been stopped work and our bills have kept coming through – we’ve been paying 100 per cent rent and it’s ripped my heart to bits. But this is hopefully a sign that society and the world’s moving on, that we’re getting beyond Covid now.”
You don’t have to book a table on the terrace, which overlooks Kingsmead Square, and as people turned up throughout the day Myles did his best to accommodate them.
He explained he would be asking people to sign in and log their visit with the NHS app, to help everyone feel comfortable at the pub.
“Look at the age of some of the people here – they’ve not spoken to anyone else for months and they miss the social engagement.
“We’re outside, we’re in the street, it’s cold, it’s windy, but we’re all giving it a good go.
“There’s a load of pent-up demand for people to see each other. It’s not St Patrick’s Day, but it feels like it because people need to see people.
“The demographic is wild – we’ve got from pensioners to kids and nobody’s met anybody for a long time,” Myles added.
The mood was jubilant on the terrace, and across Kingsmead Square, as Bath’s locals ate, drank and enjoyed each other’s company for the first time in months.