Landlady calls on people to ‘use or lose’ Pinchbeck pub after taking difficult decision to close temporarily
A landlady is calling on people to ‘use or lose’ a village pub permanently after taking the difficult decision to close its doors temporarily after seeing a drop in customers.
Emily Chappell will be taking last orders for the time being at The Bull in Pinchbeck at 11pm on Friday but is hoping people will rally around to support the pub.
The Bull had stood empty for a couple of years and it was feared that it would become another derelict building alongside The Bell in Pinchbeck until Emily stepped up last March and took over the business.
But after a flourishing start, the cost of living crisis has had an impact with just 20 people using the Knight Street pub over the Bank Holiday weekend – making it unviable to continue.
This news comes in the same week that Coneys department store in Spalding also closed its doors for the final time due to rising costs and declining sales.
Emily said: “I am devastated. I’ve put everything into it that I had – my heart, my soul, my bank balance. Everything has gone into it.
“I don’t know what else to do.
“I am hoping that it will be a temporary thing.”
And she has this message for the community: “If you want to keep The Bull use it or lose it.”
After standing empty for so long, Emily and her family had spent about three months transforming and redecorating the pub ahead of its grand re-opening in March.
Initially things had gone well for the pub, with people even walking from Spalding to Pinchbeck to enjoy a game of pool at the pub.
But sadly, the cost of living crisis – which has seen incomes squeezed in recent months due to high energy and food costs - has taken its toll – along with competition with pubs such as The Royal Mail Cart and Drayman’s Arms reopening.
Emily said: “The cost of living crisis has had an impact.
“Last weekend was Bank Holiday and over the whole weekend there was 20 people.
“We still have to pay for electricity, bills and wages.
“On Saturday, we took £100 for the entire day – that doesn’t keep the pub in electric.
“It just seems that people don’t come out as much. During Covid everyone got used to having a drink at home.
“My dearest pint is £4.10. I have been trying to keep the prices down.
“I am hoping people will start to rally around and use the pub.”