Pub became a lockdown shop
A NEWBOROUGH pub which became a community shop through lockdown has been recognised for its quality with a prestigious national award.
The Red Lion pub shop was open for business from March to August last year as a way of helping the community while the pub was closed.
The owners Gail and Ryan Wheeldon set it up after someone suggested the idea could help elderly people who could not make it to shops in Burton or Uttoxeter. They were due to marry last year but had to postpone due to Covid and decided to put their efforts into the shop to help their village.
Now they have thanked members of the community for supporting them.
Gail said: “We took over the pub in September 2019 which was really exciting. However, when we locked down in March 2020, we were struggling to work out what to do. We had to postpone our wedding, which was sad.
“Someone suggested to us that the elderly people of the community would benefit from a community little shop. People wanted a lot of the
basics and they didn’t want to go to Burton or Uttoxeter.
“We would deliver at lunch and evening. Like a lot of the people who work in hospitality, we were at a loss but when people had told us to do it it just made instant sense to us.
“We dealt with the demands we could get, with the restaurant being
the place where we set up. People couldn’t come in but they would tell us what they wanted and we would get it.
“It was really successful, we had people queueing round the block. It was a good way for the community to come together in lockdown. People would pop down to see other
people and it was lovely to see everyone else.
“It was really good, I think it bought out the best in most people. The community had the time to be patient. We had got used to being fast-paced all before lockdown and now we have a chance to reassess everything. “I was quite nervous to reopen it sounded a bit scary but we were back into the swing of things within half an hour. People were ready for a bit of interaction.
“I was more sad when we locked down again and we did look to start the shop again but people had got into a routine and were OK with going to the big shops.” Now the pair have got married, the pub has reopened and the team has picked up a prestigious national award from hospitality experts at The National Pub & Bar Awards.
Gail added: “We had applied for the award back in 2020 but to be honest we completely forgot about it.
“When I found out we had won the Staffordshire award I was shocked but very pleased. We were judged on everything from drinks to atmosphere and customer service. “We just act genuine all the time. We are glad to get back into what we did before. We went to the national final in London and were very happy to be there.
“I couldn’t believe it and we’re all absolutely thrilled.”
It was a good way for the community to come together in lockdown.
Gail Wheeldon