The jollity has returned to the Jolly Anglers after a takeover and a new landlady at the helm. When the pub closed suddenly in February, locals were left wondering what the future held and some were worried it had gone for good.
But the Beeston Rylands pub reopened this month following a major revamp - and regulars couldn't be happier. Landlady Paula Stevenson has notched up nearly 40 years in the industry, having worked at pubs both in this country and Ibiza party hotspot San Antonio.
More recently she has been running The Foresters Arms in Swadlincote, Derbyshire. She said: "I am completely new to the area. I saw this as a challenge. I have come from a very, very different pub, a lot smaller, literally on the high street, very busy. This seemed a challenge to get it up and running and do what I want to do with it. I have got a lot of plans in place."
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If the cheap beer prices aren't attraction enough (Carling £2.80 and John Smith £2.50), Paula's many plans to reel locals in include quizzes, pool and darts night, a mother and toddler morning, cake sales, Friday night disco and karaoke, and live music at the weekend. Car boot sales in the pub's sizable car park off Meadow Road will start on May 1 and a monthly auction is in the pipeline.
For the pub's official opening tomorrow (Saturday, April 23) a family fun day will give locals the chance to see the changes for themselves plus a children's entertainer, disco, games such as a penalty shootout, burger stall, ice creams and craft stalls. Come the evening a live band will be playing and the big Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte fight will be shown on the TVs dotted around the pub.
"It's going to be quite a fun-packed day, hopefully," said Paula, who entered the pub trade as an 18-year-old and is now 57. "It is a very community-minded pub and such a part of the community on this estate. It's more of a meeting place for people, a place to socialise, it seems this is the centre of the community."
She's already getting to know the regulars and their pints are being pulled as soon as they walk through the door. In return, they've welcomed her into the fold with open arms. "They have been marvellous. Very welcoming. The first few days I was working 14 to 16-hour shifts and not getting time to eat properly and they were coming in with a Sunday dinner on a plate for me, and in the mornings they were coming in with bacon rolls.
"Weekends are very busy. We have quiet days as people are still getting used to the fact we're open again. We are seeing returning customers - I had one gentleman who hadn't been in for seven years and he started coming back in."
The Jolly Anglers has been taken over by Craft Union Pub Company, a division of Stonegate, the largest pub company in the UK, and owner of other Notts boozers including the Thurland in the city centre, The Sherwood in Sherwood, The Jesse Boot in Beeston and the Greyhound in Arnold.
Paula said: "They have done a massive refurb - they've done everything. The whole bar has been ripped out, the flooring has been redone, walls have been knocked down, new electrics. The far end used to be a pool room and that has been put into a back room."
Barmaid Bernie Hawksworth is hoping to return to work next week after a heart attack 11 weeks ago. She said it's the customers that make the place. "If you were on your own you could come in and not feel like everyone's looking at you. They are a great lot - they have always got your back and they're very friendly.
They are just lovely people. If you need anything we've got people in here with hearts of gold and they'll do anything for you. It's a proper community pub.
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"I had a heart attack 11 weeks ago and my dining room table was literally full of flowers from the regulars in here - it shocked everyone. They were just great. When they found out they all rallied round," said Bernie, who has worked at the pub on and off since 1988. "We did a fun day last year for a former member of bar staff whose daughter had a big operation when she was seven days old and raised over £8,000. That's what this pub is about."
Mal Clack, a regular with her partner Derek Bottomley and chihuahua Princess, said it was "awful" when the Jolly Anglers closed and was boarded up. She said: "I like the people. They are amazing, it's a community pub. You've got the atmosphere and the new landlady is amazing, You can't get any better pub, you walk in and feel at home.
"Princess is the pub dog, she gets lots and lots of treats," said Mal, who met her partner in the pub eight-and-a half years ago. "Derek goes fishing quite a lot and you can come in, nobody looks at you a woman on your own - you feel safe."
