Pub’s innovative way of pulling punters (From Hampshire Chronicle)

Pub’s innovative way of pulling punters

7:20pm Sunday 28th February 2010

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REGULARS are toasting a Winchester landlady after she scooped an innovation award for improvements to her hostelry.

Initiatives at the Hyde Tavern, such as book reading clubs, writers’ workshops and poetry readings, has won Janet Theodore recognition from her brewery.

She took over the pub in August 2008, and beat off competition from 2,000 other landlords to land the Admiral Taverns achievement award.

“I’ve been to Ireland many times and have always been struck by how pubs there are very much the focus of the community,” she said.

“I decided to apply some of the ideas I saw in Ireland to my own pub.

“We host a book reading club, poetry readings, writers’ workshops and monthly quizzes, and local drama students regularly put on performances at the pub.

“While we don’t serve food, we invite customers to bring in their own for a charge of £1 per plate, which has worked really well.

“Plus we have no television or music playing here, which creates the perfect atmosphere for these sorts of groups to meet and share artistic ideas.”

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