Jim Sangwell is making sure he doesn’t miss out on the joy of popping to the pub – by just heading out into his back garden, where Fred’s Bar, the boozer he built four years ago, is ready and waiting.
Jim, 34, opened up his own pub four years back, but says it’s even more popular than it was back when people were able to actually visit.
The pub, which sits in Jim’s back garden, has been live-streaming pub quizzes and DJ sets since the coronavirus pandemic put a stop to people leaving the house.
Jim created the 10 foot by 12 foot pub shed in his garden for a cost of just £300, laying foundations, moving the shed into the garden, and equipping the pub with all the essentials.
Jim said: ‘Everyone seems to think I’ve just built it as a way to still go to the pub during the coronavirus lockdown.
‘But that’s not the point at all. It’s actually a lot more lonely down there now.
‘It’s just nice to have a little extra room for me to come down to and chat with the boys.
‘We’ve been having quiz nights among ourselves, and I’ll come down here and do a bit of music which I’ll live-stream to them.
‘I’ve got everything that I need in here. And with this whole thing going on, I think I’ve ended up chatting to people more than I would usually.
‘I just come down here to call friends and catch up. It has a good benefit to it. And of course I’ve had a couple of drinks down here myself, too.’
Fred’s Bar was moved down to Jim’s garden four years ago after it was gifted to him by his friend Matt – whose grandad, Fred, originally used it as his potting shed.
After finding a set of ice buckets, a bar, and some fairy lights on eBay for just £36 in all, Jim used some old paints from his work – at a holiday park – to do up the inside of the shed.
Fred’s Bar now boasts four seats at the bar, but is able to host more people virtually now the lockdown is in place.
Jim said: ‘I don’t have a licence or anything – so usually it’s just the boys that’ll come down here, a couple of times a week, for social events like football or boxing.
‘A lot of the guys provide their own drinks – and I have a ‘tab’ system in place where if they leave any drinks behind, they can have a free drink from my collection the next time they come.
‘I’m looking forward to things getting back to normal and people coming down to Fred’s again.
‘It is nice to have, but at the minute, because it’s just me, it feels a bit lonely.’
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/04/01/man-heads-pub-built-back-garden-can-enjoy-pint-lockdown-12491561/?ITO=squid
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