Future of a Stonehouse pub uncertain as Crowdfunder launched
The Lord High Admiral has been losing money since the start of the pandemic
Last updated 28th Dec 2020
The future of a pub in Stonehouse hangs in the balance, as a Crowdfunder is launched to save it.
The Lord High Admiral Pub has struggled with COVID-related closures this year, and went into debt almost as soon as the pandemic hit.
In a statement on the Crowdfunder page, Holly and Alistair, who run the pub, said:
"The grants that the Government are providing and have provided are more than enough for some and way less than enough for others.
"It's largely dependent on the floorspace of your business which is not always an exact reflection of the businesses costs.
"We went into debt almost straight away when COVID hit.
"We threw away nearly ÂŁ2000 of beer, soft drinks, snacks and food. We tried to give away as much as possible. We reduced this waste on the second lockdown considerably with much more careful planning.
"We furloughed all of our staff and kept them on furlough as long as possible. Our landlords have been kind to us and we thank Millfields Trust for their support.
"Many businesses have not had any support from landlords and we feel for them.
"Put bluntly though the support has not been enough and month by month we sink further into debt.
"The added staffing costs and work/policing required in the tier systems makes the small margins in hospitality even smaller or non-existent.
"What should be hospitality's most profitable time of year is so restricted that working out whether it was viable to open was touch and go.
"Many have not even tried so we feel grateful to have got at least something going again.
"As we all know though winter is coming, and without help we may not make it through.
"We'd really like to keep the pub open even if we can't make a profit but we need help."
More information about the Crowdfunder can be found here: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/savethelha