A safe, bright and creative space for the local and wider community has been created with hard graft and love by Vicki and Simon Powell MBII, reveals the BII’s Hana Rhodes.Brightly painted furniture presented in a light, fresh bar filled with lots of lovely personal touches and cosy corners, The Newtown Pippin is far removed from the unwelcoming, grey pub that Vicki and Simon Powell MBII took over in the spring of 2021. The Newtown Pippin was a lossmaking Enterprise Inns (EI), now Stonegate Group pub, and in the short time since it’s reopening, it has gone from strength-to-strength.
Vicki and Simon have been running pubs together for five years, and Simon has been in the industry for a decade. The pub they had previously was a countryside gastropub and far removed from the suburb of Bracknell, which is home to their now family-friendly, community hub. The incredible turnaround began at the end of the Omicron Lockdown in March 2021, with extensive cleaning
and painting of the outside of the building, new signage and spring flowers being planted. Where locals previously would walk on by on the other side of the road, now parents taking their children to the nearby primary school stop to chat.
Sharing the before and after images of the pub’s clean up on social media and teasing the forthcoming changes as a way to connect with the local community, meant that Vicki and Simon had a good following ahead of the official opening in April 2021.
The transformation wasn’t easy. Just five days after reopening, one of the windows had a brick thrown through it. Nevertheless, the couple were steadfast in removing troublemakers and welcoming local families – and two years on they’re the proud recipients of CAMRA’s Most Improved Pub award, as well as being included in the Good Beer Guide, having introduced real ales.
In the first weeks of occupancy, the couple with their children and dog slept in one side of the bar downstairs, whilst the flat above was renovated. There’s not much in the building that
they haven’t tackled themselves; from rebuilding the bar, after a poorly plumbed in glasswasher caused rot, to pressure washing the patios. It’s this tenacity that really caught the attention of the local community.
Vicki says: “I don’t think we were prepared for just how bad it would be inside until we finally got the keys. There were cigarette butts everywhere, it was filthy inside and out, and it was
just us doing the work. It feels like the other side of the moon now compared to how it was.” Just a couple of weeks before opening, once lockdown restrictions had lifted, the local primary school had an Easter Egg Hunt and invited The Newtown Pippin to join in, by putting chocolate eggs in their windows, as part of the trail, as well as selling cups of coffee and hot chocolate from the
front door. They used their last £150 to buy the coffee beans and cups.
Vicki and Simon remember: “We were down to our last money. We hadn’t borrowed to open our business, but we were using food banks. When we saw that we’d taken £270 at the end of the day, it was joyous. We finally believed we could do it.”
Two years on, the family-friendly pub is thriving. They’re busier than ever – hosting quiz nights, regular music events and parties – and have a roaring lunchtime trade. They recently moved to open seven days a week too. The couple’s openness about the renovations and the changes they were making have been key to building trust within their community. Vicki insisted on a clear glass
kitchen window rather than a frosted one, so that she can wave to people as they walk past – but also to show the cleanliness and high standards back-of-house.
They serve a range of pub classics like ham, egg and chips, scampi, and chicken goujons alongside homecooked staples such as sausage casserole, chilli and curries. Vicki makes sure that as many of their dishes as possible are gluten-free and vegan at their base, and keeps costs down by making simple changes to dishes, while retaining high standards and fresh food.
To ensure they’re maximising their reach, smaller appetite meals for children after school and for the over 65s are available and priced affordably. Monthly offers, such as January’s £5 jacket potatoes, have been so popular that at one point Vicki and Simon thought they may have bitten off more than they could chew.
This year, over the May Bank Holiday, the Pippin, as it’s now affectionately known, will host its second annual Pippinfest, a beer festival with nine ales as well as ciders and craft ale on the pumps.
Simon and Vicki love bringing a personal touch to their events – they’ve even booked the singer who performed at their wedding. Vicki creates and serves the food on a daily basis, while the quiz is charismatically hosted by Simon.
Before taking on the pub, they’d researched the two mile radius around it and found that it was 65% families, with the next nearest pub in any direction being a 25 minute walk away. It was this that convinced them to make a go of it, and every day they’re getting busier. With their wet/dry split being approximately 80/20, and growing towards food, the pressure on the kitchen and the limitations of the wiring/equipment are beginning to be felt. Vicki says the positive relationship they have developed with their BDM since taking over has been worth its weight in gold. This, along with the huge changes they have made means their contribution has been recognised and there are now plans in place for Stonegate to upgrade and rewire the electrics.
Energy prices have eaten into the profits that the couple hoped to make, but with the support from locals they are confident for a busy year in 2023. As well as the weekly event calendar and Pippinfest, locals are choosing to book the pub for parties and family celebrations. Key dates across the year such as Valentines and Mothers’ Day have special menus, with set afternoon tea deals from as little as £12.50 a head attracting local customers back again and again.
The passion that the couple have for the Pippin is visible in Vicky’s face, as her eyes fill with tears in response to the question: “What are you most proud of?”. She replies: “I always get emotional when I see women sitting in the bar. It wasn’t a safe space for women before, and now I see them here with their kids or out meeting a friend… one of the first music nights we had I stepped out of the kitchen and it was packed. I just burst into tears. I thought, we’ve done this.”
The value of The Newtown Pippin extends far beyond just business; the pub has changed the lives of Vicki, Simon and their children, and changed the local community for the better. It’s not just a pub, but a hub for celebrations, friendships and support for so many who needed it.
Top Tips for encouraging women and familiar into the pub
- Special menu items (smaller portions and home cooking)
- Soft drink selection
- Party bookings
- Clean, family friendly furniture
- Welcome children in the evenings
- Half-term and school holiday offers
- Kid friendly parties for Halloween/Christmas 4-7pm
