A number of pubs across Yorkshire are set to get a £1.64m revamp – with a much-loved Barnsley boozer leading the way.
The Ship in Worsbrough re-opened at the end of February following a four and a half year closure – all thanks to a £370k transformation from Heineken owned Star & Bar Pubs.
The reopening of the local boozer created 11 new jobs for locals, as well as providing a social hub for residents who “sat at home alone” before it welcomed punters back inside.
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Since reopening, the revamped pub has become a “social hub” for locals and is a space to hold coffee mornings for senior citizens, care home residents and mother and toddler groups. The pub, which serves only drinks, also specialises in entertainment and sport, as well as holding charity fundraisers and providing a meeting space in order to “give back” to the community.
Rebecca Skelly, who quit her job as a social worker to become the pub’s new owner, said: “The Ship needed a complete facelift to get customers back – a lick of paint wouldn’t have cut it. The smart new design has been key to converting residents into regulars. The Ship is proof of the need and demand for traditional locals. It’s part of the town’s history.
“Everyone comes here, from families with children to retirees – it’s a social hub, especially for the neighbourhood’s senior citizens, many of whom sat at home alone before The Ship opened again.”
The Ship is just one Yorkshire pub which has undergone a revamp as Heineken UK has put aside £1.64m of funding to revamp its Star & Bar Pubs across the county. The funding is part of a nationwide investment which will see 612 pubs get a share of £39m.
(Image: Dean Atkins Photography)
Heineken have said that the major refurbishments will concentrate on “transforming tired pubs in suburban areas into premium locals.” The revamps are designed to broaden each pub’s use and appeal, giving people additional reasons to visit.
The new changes will include “subtle zoning” which will signpost pub goers to their area of interest – whether that’s watching sports or dining – so that people are able to enjoy the pub atmosphere without disturbing each other.
Other common changes will include overhauling cellars with state-of-the-art dispense equipment to ensure “consistently perfect pints” and repositioning tills to speed up service. Heinkeen hopes to become net zero by 2040 so the projects will also include energy efficiency measures, including heating controls, insulation and low- energy lighting, that will cut energy use by 15%.
Lawson Mountstevens, Star Pubs’ Managing Director, said: “People are looking for maximum value from visits to their local. They want great surroundings and food and drink as well as activities that give them an extra reason to go out, such as sports screenings and entertainment. Creating fantastic locals that can accommodate a range of occasions meets this need and helps pubs fulfil their role as vital third spaces where communities can come together.
“Pubs have proved their enduring appeal; after all the disruption of recent years, Star is on track to have the lowest number of long-term closed pubs since 2019. It’s a tribute to the drive and entrepreneurship of licensees and the importance of continued investment. We’ve spent more than £200m maintaining and upgrading our pubs over the last five years, and we’ll continue to invest to keep them open and thriving.”
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