When The Lifeboat Inn in Shirehampton, Bristol, became available in Autumn 2020, Paul Clarke MBII and eight friends got together to take on the lease. BII’s Eleanor Golding MBII spoke to Paul about why the group became involved and how important it was for them to join the BII.
“We’ve all known each other for more than 30 years because most of us have a bit of a rugby background. That’s how we know each other and the pub itself was like an extension to the rugby club. Most of us had even had our first drinks there as teenagers.”
Looking back on his 18-year-old self, Paul could never have imagined taking on the pub in his adult life. Working as a full-time aircraft engineer and with other members of the Lifeboat group employed on the docks, in logistics, IT, engineering and window fitting, together they brought the practical and technical skills that are needed to manage the refit, set-up and run a pub.
“None of us were in it in order to quit our day jobs, we came together and invested an amount of money each, without really expecting to get it back. We put our money and resources into it for the good of the community.”
In the years since their first pints together, Paul had noticed that the pub had been going downhill. “We thought to ourselves, ‘we need to reclaim the pub a little bit’. Initially, as there was no budget to refurbish, we took it on as it was and started investing our own funds. The electrics were in a bad state and a lot of the floor joists holding up the boards were rotten. By the end of it, we were really taking the place apart,” says Paul, adding that they received plenty of help from the community, from people running the pub to the many locals who were offering to drop off materials and volunteer their time.
In true community spirit, the team received anything from electrical expertise to beer and cake. All was gratefully received and it was decided that this help should get official recognition.
“The Lifeboat Legends board is still to go up, but the principle is that if someone helped out, whether they provided paints, plumbing or cake, we would add them to the board. We used Facebook initially, posting when someone offered their support. We’d say a thank you and end with the phrase ‘Your position on the Lifeboat Legends board is now secure!'”
The board, which will be like a Captain’s board more usually found in sport’s clubs, will be mounted on the wall, with the names displayed in no particular order.
This had had the added benefit of making more of a feature of the bar, which is created from an old lifeboat (installed in the mid=1980s). The feedback has been very positive too, especially as this unusual feature is now visible to passers-by, thereby arousing intrigue and causing people to stop or do a double take.
In the run up to opening, Admiral Taverns provided the team with someone to provide on-site training. “She was helping with the layout of the pub, with things like signage, how to load the shelves and to organise everything from a practical point-of-view, even how the pub should be set up . It has been a steep learning curve. We didn’t really know what we were getting ourselves into, in terms of how much was involved. From CCTV and safety assessments, to fire regulations and ensuring our pricing offered us a good margin. We didn’t have any experience of that.”
Having joined the BII in September 2021, Paul says he and the team, alongside their Manager Kai Hopkins, have utilised the BII Staff Contract Builder and HR Helpline to help support staff.
“We’re still very much hands on as well, running repairs, or making sure the tills operate properly and even that the juke box is working Whatever it might be, we’re really involved in the day-to-day running of the place.”
At the time of our interview, The Lifeboat Inn had been open for just five weeks. Now established into a rhythm and regularly taking on feedback from customers, the team of nine have their sights set on adding live music events (kicking off with newly signed Spencer Flay) and serving fresh pizzas from their shiny pizza oven.
George Ralph, Chris Jakeways, Martin Ackerman, Bob Hane, John Golder, Jonathan Golder, Julian Stevens, Jerry Male and Paul Clarke make up the nine men who took on the Admiral tenancy to save The Lifeboat Inn as a pub for their community. Between them, they run the pub, hold down their full time jobs and are even involved in two bands, called Half a Barrel (folk music) and The Black Crash (indie, rock).
How to Make Your Pub a Community Minded Hub:
- Pubwatch – connect with like-minded licensees and work alongside your local council and police teams.
- Create a group of businesses within the local community – Paul says that working with the local businesses “means we have a partner in our community, between us we attract people in the area, or get people to stay in the area and support local.”
- Invite your local MP – showing your MP the work you do within the community can really bring your venue to the forefront of their minds when they’re planning future projects.
- Create a space for customers and community members to share their thoughts or feedback with you – this could be as part of a feedback box, an outreach program, recording feedback as you chat to customers, or encouraging comments on social media.
