Have a waltz around Dancing
FIRST LOOK AROUND NEW ADDITION TO DALTON PARK
A new pub which takes its name from the region’s mining heritage will pull its first pint next week.
After six months of building work and an investment of £3.5million, The Dancing Betty will open to the public from Monday at Dalton Park, in East Durham.
The latest new addition in the £45million expansion of the shopping outlet, which is built on the former Murton Colliery site, it takes its name from a vertical tensioning device for a haulage rope used during the mining era.
Owned by Marston’s, the pub and carvery, which has created 60 new jobs, will be open every day from 11am to 11pm and until 10.30pm on Sundays.
General manager Julie Millerchip, who is running the pub with husband Gary, moved to the area from West Yorkshire to take up the position and said they were delighted with people’s enthusiasm for the new pub.
“We’d never been to Murton before, but when we got offered the job a few months ago we had a look round the park and absolutely loved it. Since we’ve got here the management at the park have been nothing but helpful,” she said.
Julie, who has 40 years’ experience in the industry, said: “As the months have gone on people have got more and more excited for us opening, and we’ve even had an enquiry for Christmas Day already.
“We also ran a competition on Facebook which has had 48,000 views, which is crazy.”
She added: “The builders broke ground in January and then we had the handover from them last month. It’s been great to see it take shape. We’re used to more traditional pubs, but this one is really funky and modern.”
As well as a daily carvery, the family-friendly pub, which seats 220 people, will operate a menu of classic pub dishes such as pies and burgers, as well as a healthy-eating children’s menu.
The Dancing Betty is the latest new addition to the park, which in recent months has welcomed a Cineworld, Frankie and Benny’s, Pizza Express, KFC and Prezzo.
Planning permission has also been granted for a hotel next to the new pub. A supermarket store leased by Morrisons has also been built, but remains empty.
The pub will be hosting a soft launch this weekend for family and friends and local residents before it becomes fullyoperationalfromMonday.