Final touches being put in place as Calderdale pubs get set to welcome back customers

Along with restaurants and bars, pubs will be allowed to open in some capacity in the second stage of the government’s roadmap on April 12.

Craig Isaacs, managing director of Titan Pub Solutions, which runs the Duke of York in Shelf and the Shoulder of Mutton in Mytholmroyd, will be opening their venues on Thursday April 15 and Saturday April 17 respectively.

“Obviously work is progressing ready for our re-openings,” he said.

“At the Duke we have extended the outdoor beer garden and the car park is no longer there.

“It is full of benches and chairs so we can accommodate 100 people. We have some really nice planters, a marquee and all the necessary safety measures in place.

“We have put in a huge investment to get things ready and increased our staff numbers. Like many pub owners and landlords it has been very challenging and to keep the staff motivated.

“However, we are a very positive company and everyone is looking forward to seeing people come back.

“It will be new to everyone but we will be reviewing how we work on a weekly basis.”

Under the guidelines up to six people from separate households can meet in beer gardens from April 12.

Michael Ainsworth from the Grayston Unity in Halifax, pictured inset, is also preparing to reopen on Friday April 16.

“The hospitality industry has been through a lot,” he said.

“We have been very grateful for the financial help and we already had a lot of things in place when pubs were preparing to re-open previously.

“We are making use out of our outside space as we are fortunate and have quite a lot of seating we can use.

“Pubs are about community. It is not all about going for a drink - they provide a place for people to go and have conversations. And that is what we need because a lot of people wont have been to do that. It is one of the things we have missed.

“There is nothing better looking out and seeing people together and having a chat.”