Pubs and bars are at the 'heart' of people in Leeds - but now they're becoming a 'distant memory'

The last time hospitality venues opened their doors in our city was in early November last year: now a 'distant memory'. We spoke to the owners of pubs and bars across Leeds about the impacts of this long-lasting hospitality closure on them, their businesses and their customers.
Jo Heywood, owner of the Gaping Goose pub in Garforth, Leeds (photo: Jo Heywood)Jo Heywood, owner of the Gaping Goose pub in Garforth, Leeds (photo: Jo Heywood)
Jo Heywood, owner of the Gaping Goose pub in Garforth, Leeds (photo: Jo Heywood)

Prime Minister Boris Johnson told all hospitality venues they must close from November 5 at the start of the second national lockdown - and in Leeds they have not reopened since.

Now, 'normal working-bar life is becoming a distant memory' for one Leeds bar owner, and another landlady misses the pub that is her 'heart' and her 'life' and her customers that are her 'family',

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Jo Heywood is the landlady of the Gaping Goose pub in Garforth and has been volunteering for the NHS whilst she is out of work.

Stephanie and Matthew Cliffe with their son Cassius, aged two (photo: Stephanie Cliffe)Stephanie and Matthew Cliffe with their son Cassius, aged two (photo: Stephanie Cliffe)
Stephanie and Matthew Cliffe with their son Cassius, aged two (photo: Stephanie Cliffe)

She says her Selby Road pub can't just be a place where you "pull a pint, here you go, let's have fun" anymore.

The 36-year-old from Kippax added: "Honestly, what can you think about all this?

"In fact thinking is the worst thing, because then you end up over thinking.

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"My pub is my heart, it's my life and my customers aren't my customers, they're now like my friends and my family and we've just been given no hope.

Distrikt bar, LeedsDistrikt bar, Leeds
Distrikt bar, Leeds

"For them I want to be able to open tomorrow and actually be a pub again, but now for me opening is a really scary thing.

"It's not just pull a pint, here you go, let's have fun, it's now making sure you do the right things for your staff and your customers.

"I don't want to have to stand and watch people closely because they might be sitting too close to each other.

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"So, it's got to be at the right time and if that means another six months or a year until we know everyone can be safe then that's it, and I don't want what it was before where opening dates were messing with people's minds.

"It was like oh you can open tomorrow, no you can't, open next week, oh now you can't.

"At the moment there's nothing to get my hopes knocked down for, but when we have an opening date, we have to get that right and stick to it because now there's so much more that has to go on behind the scenes for us than just pulling a pint."

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Stephanie Cliffe and her husband Matthew opened The Assembly pub in Cross Gates in August 2018.

The pair were hoping to open their second pub in Garforth last year, but never got the chance due to coronavirus restrictions.

Now, they want the Government's go-ahead for both their venues.

The mum-of-one said: "We've welcomed financial help from the Government and without that we couldn't have survived.

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"I understand that the Government is in a hard situation because the whole pandemic is unprecedented but I do feel like the hospitality industry has been hung out to dry.

"It feels like we've been closed and restricted with no real research and backing and we felt like hospitality had been blamed for the spread of Covid - but where's that proof?

"It's been the not-knowing the whole time and we're not on our own with that feeling.

"Of course, the most important thing is to combat the virus and keep everyone safe but hospitality venues were doing everything to ensure their staff and customers were kept safe.

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"It's really frustrating when you see packed supermarkets full of hundreds of people and then when bars and restaurants have social distancing measures in place, cut capacity and implement screens too we were the first to shut - and will probably be the last to open.

"But, equally, opening with too many restrictions such as curfews and only serving alcohol with food doesn't work either.

"It's just not viable so it's best to stay shut and hope that when restrictions lift then the hospitality industry will be put in a more positive position to open and trade effectively whilst recouping some losses.

"We've got to remain hopeful, positive and get rid of the virus so we can get back to normality. We're hanging in there and waiting for the go-ahead."

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The owner of Distrikt bar on Duncan Street in Leeds is feeling a 'sense of resignation' from being closed, as having his bar open is a 'distant memory'.

Jonathan Simons said: "A lot of colleagues in the industry always seem to be indicating and gesturing towards possible restriction relaxation dates but I'm just following the status quo.

"If we can have outdoor dining in March that would work but it would have to be gradual.

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"At the moment I just feel a complete sense of resignation and a normal working day in the bar is a distant memory.

"It would be easier if we could be given an exact date for proper reopening but I believe the reason we haven't been given one yet is because it's just too far off and the Government don't want to backtrack again.

"We do need to be given a long run at opening this time because the main thing that is disrupting everyone's mental health is the inconsistencies.

"We're holding onto the silver lining of the vaccine and there has to be a time where we come to a compromise and allow some forms of society to resume.

"Sooner or later we've got to learn to live with the virus."