The late Breda Geoghegan By Charlie Keegan BREDA Geoghegan, Beechwood Park, Pollerton Big, Carlow passed away peacefully in the presence of her loving family.
Pubs across Oxfordshire are struggling but many rural pubs have found a way to keep their businesses surviving. Many landlords feel the one-off ‘top-up’ grants for closed businesses is not enough and have turned to takeaways and one bar has even transformed into an off-licence. Dave Richardson from Oxford Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) said: “It seems what is given with one hand is taken away with the other. Any kind of cash grant is welcome obviously. The bigger pubs will probably be able to get through till spring without too much extra pain, but the smaller ones with less rateable value will get a few thousand pounds in grants, but this will not even make up for the Christmas trade they lost.”
Many feel the one-off ‘top-up’ grants from Government for closed businesses are not enough. Some have turned to takeaways, and one county bar has even transformed into an off-licence. Dave Richardson from Oxford Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) said: “It seems what is given with one hand is taken away with the other. Any kind of cash grant is welcome, obviously, and the bigger pubs will probably be able to get through til spring without too much extra pain, but the smaller ones with less rateable value will get a few thousand pounds in grants, and this will not even make up for the Christmas trade they lost.”
Husband and wife pub owners have found success in during Covid with a new takeaway menu. Bill and Carmel Sheehan have been the owners of The Wheatsheaf in East Hendred near Didcot for 10 years, and to keep the business running during the pandemic, the couple decided to offer their customers takeaway food. Mr Sheehan said: “Back in March when the lockdown just started, I thought what are we going to do? I did not want to sit upstairs and do nothing, so we decided that we would look into doing takeaways.” The pub’s regular customers loved the idea of takeaway pub classics every day for lunch and dinner, and one man left a shining review.