Following their relocation to Laneham in early summer 2011 Springhead Brewery has plans to take the next step in expansion and open a pub on the brewery site. Helen Teasdale, Managing Director, states ‘’The welcome we have had in Laneham has been tremendous. Meg’s Bar, our brewery tap, has captured the imagination of the locals and is busy with drinkers at all times creating a really nice community atmosphere. We are also attracting tourists coming to take brewery tours and tastings, as well as following the guided walk around Laneham and Church Laneham, which is described on a leaflet we have produced. In order to fit more people in, and provide an enhanced service to our followers that includes a food offer, we will be converting the house on the brewery site into a welcoming and traditional pub, thus creating more jobs for locals along the way. We hope to be open by Easter’’.

This is welcome news when most of the headlines are about pub closures, with an average of 25 being closed each week across the UK according to a report by the BBPA (British Beer & Pub Association). There were almost 1300 fewer pubs in Britain by the end of 2010, resulting in a loss of around 13,000 jobs. The rate of losses is highest in London and the North West.

Brigid Simmonds, chief executive of BBPA, said in a recent interview: ‘’The closure of 25 pubs each week is bad news for the economy, as the sector plays such a vital role. It is also a blow for local communities, with pubs often acting as the hub of local life’’.