When they found out their local was closing down and being sold off four enterprising regulars at the Red Lion in Earby decided to take matters into their own hands. We can run it ourselves, they agreed – why not?
We can choose our own beers and drinks, put on our own entertainment and keep it open as a focal meeting place for the community with fun charity events, live televised football and, of course, pub banter. So they did.
When the previous landlady was forced to retire through ill health and developers started showing interest in the property, four local residents, David and Susan Birro, Paul King and Maria Shaw decided to step in. Their main aim being to keep the community thriving and have fun by running the pub themselves.
One year later and it’s safe to say this small but cosy bar has proved a big success. It’s keeping itself nicely thank you and seen in plenty of lively nights – and encouraged plenty of laughter and banter. Happy First Birthday – the Red Lion. 28th November 2017.
“We didn’t know anything about running a pub. We knew we liked drinking beer,” explained Paul King modestly, a chartered surveyor and project manager by day, he nurtured his contacts in local breweries to provide the pub with excellent beers provided by the likes of Naylor’s Brewery in Keighley and Haworth Steam Brewery.
The Red Lion not only kept up with the recent gin phenomena which hit the 2017 night out but the pub can now boast 17 different types of gin and five tonics as well. Like the beers, with the gins they try and keep up the principle of keeping the pub supplied mostly by local business (Haworth Steam Brewery expanded itself into gins).
Maria Shaw, who also runs a farm, keeps belted Galloway cows for beef which she describes as “grass fed with no chemical feed” (as well as keeping a rare breed of Dutch mountain sheep known as zwartbles) is planning to introduce a “field to food” element to any food the pub might provide in the future. She described how the pub uses the mix of social media and the fact that “everybody more or less knows everybody” to keep up the interest in popular nights and spread the word.
David Birro, a cobbler with two shops in the nearby town of Barnoldswick, Susan Birro, Paul and Maria only felt the need to shut the pub for a week for refurbishment before setting off on their new venture. It now opens 5.30 until 11pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and afternoons and evenings at the weekend.
Contentious issues at the bar, such as which county the pub resides in (is it Yorkshire or Lancashire the border lies somewhere in Earby) are self-regulated by a charity swear box. The ethos of the bar being about people looking out for each other as well while enjoying a drink.
So far they’ve had charity Bake Off’s for good causes like Help The Heroes, a Cocktail Gin Challenge for nearby Pendle Hospice and are planning, among many events, a Christmas Cake, Sausage and Cheese night to raise money for the RSPCA (Saturday December 16th).
Musician and regular Grant Duxbury explained: “…the four folk who took over are lovely and since they took over they’ve done up the pub and decorated it and they have had very and old customers coming back in. They just make everyone welcome.”
Grant will be entertaining the locals and playing as part of the duo Wright Said Hodge at the Red Lion on Thursday November the 23rd.
Mike Kneafsey
I work as a full time musician and guitar teacher and will be providing the music at the Red Lion in Earby’s First Birthday celebration
Saturday December the 2nd.
I also play, sing and write for alt indie folk act Sweeney Astray please like our Facebook sites and check out our music.
https://sweeneyastraynews.wordpress.com/buy-new-single/
https://www.facebook.com/SweeneyAstray/
for guitar teaching tips…Northern Guitar Teacher
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