Villagers enjoyed the first Pop-Up Pub in Pant Memorial Hall and vow to arrange regular events while the Cross Guns Inn pub is closed.
About 40 people attended a meeting to discuss the idea of pop-up pubs in Pant and the meeting itself turned into just such an event as a burger van in the car park made the evening a very sociable occasion.
Locals discussed the future of the Cross Guns and everyone would like to see the pub reopen but in the short term agreed that a simple regular event in the hall would offer a great alternative.
The concept that locals favoured was a bring your own drink combined with a food van in the car park – ideally with different cuisines available over the year.
Said Sean one of the ‘Friends of the Cross Guns’: “It was great to see so many people at the Pop-up Pub. Many of whom would be and have been regulars at the Cross Guns. It was especially pleasing to hear that people said they would support similar events regularly in the future and we are going to try and set up dates for the next few months.
“Hopefully, the pub will open very soon but until then I think this will offer our community a way to come together.”
If anyone knows of someone who might be interested in taking on the lease of the pub, Admiral Taverns would like to hear from them. A spokesperson said: “We are currently recruiting for a passionate new licensee to take over this fantastic community pub to ensure it can reopen as soon as possible and remain at the heart of Pant. For anyone interested, please give us a call on 01244 321 171.”
Meanwhile, a group called Pant Together met recently to discuss putting on a range of community activities in the village. Recently, Pant Memorial Hall has hosted events put on by members of Pant Together including quiz and bingo nights. The group want to build on these with a series of events for all ages. Search for Pant Together on Facebook to get in touch with them and help arrange events in our community.
The dates for the next two pop-up pubs have been set for Friday 7 November and Friday 12 December. Future pop-up pub events (or indeed other community events at Pant Memorial Hall), can be found on their website, please visit the online calendar of Pant Memorial Hall or join the Friends of the Cross Guns Facebook group.