Fordingbridge pub will stay open despite flood warning

In a testament to her resilience, Caroline Roylance, will do everything it takes to ensure that her pub remains open for business.

The George Pub is located right on the banks of the River Avon, a location that makes for a lovely spot during summer, but has its cons during flood alerts.

Currently, the area is on an amber warning, with additional concern for ground flooding. And with the rainy weather, the river has risen to its highest point since 2014.

The pub acts as a flood wall, but its conservatory is not protected by the barrier, meaning Roylance has to utilise sandbags to keep it safe, with volunteers helping her lay them down.

But despite the situation, the business owner is determined to keep The George doors open.

She told Greatest Hits Radio Salisbury: "We've been through a really difficult time the last few years with the pandemic, the cost of living crisis and the war that's had an impact on prices for us and our customers.

"We don't have a choice. If we closed, we probably wouldn't re-open, we need the business.

"Because we've been here before, we've seen what the river does before it floods, we can be better prepared. And we have to stay open because we've got staff that rely on us to keep them in a job."

With over two decades of experience in the hospitality trade, Roylance has adapted to the times, using platforms like TikTok and Facebook to keep her customers in the loop.

The business owner claimed: "During lockdown, I started doing a daily video of the river for our customers who couldn't come and see us anymore. We ended up being shut for a total of 272 days. So I got in the habit of doing the videos, and then I started again when the river started to rise.

"It's about letting people know that we're still open and that Fordingbridge as a whole is still open. I woke up on Monday morning to emails of people asking whether we'd be open at the weekend because some local papers were saying Fordingbridge was flooded. I don't think they understood the difference between flood alert and flooding."

nine-years-ago, the business dealt with an immense flood. However, despite the adversity they operated as normal, and it won't be any different if water gets into the premises this time.

Roylance emphasised: "The restaurant was flooded for five months and the patio for a good three months in 2014, and we were open every day. So, there's no chance of us closing."