Grizebeck pub saved from closure to appear in TV show
Last updated at 16:22, Wednesday, 18 November 2009
REGULARS who saved their village pub from closure are set to star in a new TV series.
The Greyhound Inn in Grizebeck was heading for closure in January, after the then-owners found the pub was not making enough money to keep going.
But when they saw an advert for pubs at risk of closure to take part in a reality TV programme, they decided to give the inn a last shot at staying afloat.
Save Our Boozer by production company Eye TV offered to pay each failing pub’s first month’s rent, if enough volunteers from the village were interested in trying to save their local and were prepared to be filmed doing it.
It was at this point that a group of regulars stepped up to the plate, and agreed to form the Greyhound Steering Group, a committee which gathered a group of volunteers who eventually got the pub back on its feet. Alan Irving took on the role of chairman, having been a regular at the pub for nearly 18 years.
He said: “The village would have been an empty place without the pub. We’re miles from anywhere here, and it’s nice to have a pub within walking distance where you can go and have a drink and a social.
“I am very pleased by the amount of support by the community. The pub used to have a good reputation for food and socialising, and we’re getting a lot of people who used to come in ten years ago and are now back.”
After agreeing to take on the task, the team immediately got to work, redecorating and revamping the inn.
After weeks of the villagers volunteering as barmaids, waiters, and cleaners, while being filmed and interviewed, the pub gradually became more popular.
Four months into the project the committee were able to begin hiring paid staff. The Greyhound now employs a full-time manager and a chef, as well as four part-time bar staff and eight waiting-on staff.
The success has left the committee hopeful for the future of the pub.
Mr Irving said: “It’s a watch this space scenario but we have the potential to carry on, I think it will probably keep going for the foreseeable future.
“I hope it will create local employment, and hope it goes from strength to strength.”
The programme will be shown on Blighty TV at 8pm on Thursday December 10.
Save our Boozer will feature the Grizebeck pub along with two other pubs.
First published at 13:12, Wednesday, 18 November 2009
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk
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