With many parts of Britain now under local lockdowns preventing friends from different households meeting indoors, pubs across the country are having to come up with ingenious methods to get people to visit.
And these photographs show how venues are turning to marquees and teepees with heaters to follow Covid-19 rules and ensure those living in tier two areas such as London can still meet ‘outside’ in groups of up to six.
Pubs in tier two under ‘high’ alert are not allowed to seat anyone from different households indoors, so they are turning to marquees which can be classed as outdoor seating as long as the ends are opened up.
The Government has urged pub landlords and restaurateurs to ensure social distancing is maintained within marquees, and that they are open on three or four sides to be considered as an ‘external environment’.
The move to outdoor seating has resulted in a boom in business for marquee manufacturers – with one in Surrey saying demand is up by 500 per cent and another in South Yorkshire posting monthly sales of more than £1million.
Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, told MailOnline today: ‘Many pubs have invested in their outdoor spaces to make them comfortable and welcoming for winter so do check out your local.’
And UK Hospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls added: ‘The restrictions, particularly for those businesses in tier two areas, means that they will have to think laterally in order to accommodate guests.
‘A marquee is a great idea, provided the pub has the space. Utilising outdoor areas will be vital if pubs and bars are going to trade at anything approaching a healthy level. Some local authorities have relaxed rules to let businesses utilise outdoor space and we hope more will follow that lead.’
Among the pubs in England which have turned to outdoor marques and teepees are The Weeping Willow in Barrow, Suffolk; The Three Tuns in Guilden Morden, Cambridgeshire; and The Perch in Binsey, Oxfordshire.
The 17th century Weeping Willow in Barrow, Suffolk, is among the pubs in England which has a covered outdoor seating area
Punters enjoy a drink under a marquee with outdoor heating at The Three Tuns in Guilden Morden, Cambridgeshire
Others with covered outdoor areas include The Red Lion in Hollington, Derbyshire; The Horse and Groom in Wivenhoe, Essex; The Rose Revived in Hadlow, Kent; and The Old Boot Inn in Stanford Dingley, Berkshire.
Nik Antona, national chairman for the Campaign for Real Ale, told MailOnline today: ‘Beer gardens are an intrinsic part of British pub culture and the backbone of our summers.
‘This year, we’re in exceptional circumstances as more pubs have turned to putting up marquees and heating their outdoor areas to keep abreast of Covid-19 restrictions and social distancing measures.
‘While this will help some pubs in the lead up to winter, particularly on pleasant days, it’s not a long-term solution for our pubs to survive the winter, and many pubs have no outdoor space. Like it or not, the weather will turn, and our pub gardens will need to close at certain times.
‘That is why it is vital that the Government provides additional financial support for all hospitality businesses. Otherwise, we’re likely to see many pubs close their doors forever by Christmas.’
The Perch is a thatched 17th century country inn located in Binsey, Oxfordshire, which has put up a marquee in its garden
The Red Lion in the Derbyshire village of Hollington has put up a marquee which allows punters to meet up inside or out
The demand for marquees has also meant good business for manufacturers – with Spencer King, director of DIY Marquees in Dorking, Surrey, telling MailOnline that demand is up by 400 to 500 per cent from its usual levels.
He said: ‘We are having to quote long lead times for marquees for the first time in our 40-plus years in the industry – usually it is only a day or two – so a lot of pubs are either having a long wait or having to make do with lighter weight party tent type structures.
‘The lockdown limited our production whilst the stock we did have was sold to Covid testing stations, schools, factories and hospitals – we donated a marquee to our local hospital purely so the staff could have a rest area for example.
‘By the time pubs reopened needing outdoor space stocks of marquees were already very limited and quickly became depleted leading to the current long lead times. Hopefully by next spring – second lockdown allowing – production will have caught up and we will be back to normal.’
Another firm, Gala Tent, reported 50 per cent year-on-year growth and £1million-plus revenue for two months in a row the first time its 21-year history.
The Horse and Groom in Wivenhoe, Essex, is among the pubs which has used the services of Rotherham-based Gala Tent
The company, which makes tents for the NHS, police and the military, had a 60,000 sq ft warehouse packed with summer stock during lockdown but demand soon soared as the hospitality sector reopened in July.
Gala Tent posted a 33 per cent growth year-on-year for July, then a 49 per cent increase for August, creating the most successful period in the history of the company based in the South Yorkshire town of Rotherham.
Chief executive Jason Mace said last month: ‘If you’re going to succeed as a company, you need to know that you can change direction at a minute’s notice and carry on regardless. The beauty of our products is their versatility.
‘It’s a wedding marquee one year but now it’s a way of pubs expanding their premises to ensure their own revenues don’t drop, or for schools to protect their children in the social distancing era.’
A third firm, Barkers Marquees in Godstone, Surrey, said it had seen a ‘vast increase’ for marquees to help pubs, restaurants, schools and sports clubs work within Covid-19 restrictions during the winter.
A spokesman said demand was being driven firstly from ‘companies using cheaper gazebos in the summer – usually sourced from China – and realising they won’t withstand UK winters; our event tents are structurally analysed to ensure they comply with wind loading regulations’.
The other key driver was the Government ‘suggesting that organisations need to plan to comply with Covid-19 restrictions for another six months’, the firm said.
The Rose Revived in Hadlow, Kent, has put up a marquee for dining within its extensive land and gardens in the countryside
The spokesman added: ‘Usually we are taking orders at this time of year for next summer season from the events industry, but confidence in this sector is at an all-time low.
‘With Government suggesting that we will have to live with Covid-19 restrictions for possibly another six months, some couples that had deferred their wedding until next spring are considering moving the date again.
‘The events industry could well see increased demand in 2021 season due to 2020 deferrals and new weddings, however many events companies may not survive that long to take advantage. This could mean increased frustration for events planners and event goers alike.’
It comes after industry estimates revealed this week that pubs, bars and restaurants spent £900million on screens, masks and hand sanitiser to make their venues safe for reopening.
Bosses have spoken of their fury at spending the cash only to be forced to shell out again to adapt to an ‘ever-changing raft of ill-thought-out regulations’.
The Old Boot Inn in the historic Berkshire village of Stanford Dingley has put up a giant structure for people to sit outdoors
Each pub has spent more than £10,000 adapting the interiors of their venues, according to research, but many can now only entertain customers outside.
Tens of thousands of venues across the North of England have been plunged back into drastic restrictions, which industry leaders said are having a ‘devastating impact’ and will cost hundreds of thousands of jobs.
Last Saturday, South Yorkshire joined Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Liverpool at the highest tier three level of restrictions, forcing many venues to shut.
Household mixing has already been banned in tier two areas such as London and the North East, and Wales has shut all its hospitality businesses as part of a two-week ‘fire-break’ lockdown.
Amid growing anger, Chancellor Rishi Sunak was forced to extend the winter jobs scheme on Thursday, but fears remain for the future of thousands of businesses.
The teepee structure at the Old Boot Inn in Stanford Dingley, Berkshire, will allow people to eat or drink outdoors
Official data suggests close to four in ten restaurants, pubs, hotels are at risk of going bust, and the majority are now loss-making.
But, even as restrictions were introduced for hospitality, Public Health England data showed that just 3.3 per cent of new infections were linked to the sector.
Tier three measures will force up to 5,000 pubs to shut in the North unless they serve ‘substantial’ meals, according to property adviser Altus Group.
Tier two measures have affected 11,798 pubs, nearly a third of all English pubs, and 12,400 of the 27,000 of the country’s restaurants.
Since the start of the pandemic, more than 41,000 jobs have been lost from large companies in the hospitality sector.
Last week the boss of Marston’s pub chain blamed lockdown measures for the loss of 2,100 jobs at its 1,700 venues, saying they were the ‘inevitable consequence of the limitations placed upon our business’.
It is spending £2million to add heated outdoor seating areas to its pubs. Wetherspoons has spent £13.1million on getting its 875 pubs ready.
Its founder, Tim Martin, said the company is now being hit by ‘an ever-changing raft of ill-thought-out regulations’. It has announced up to 480 job cuts because of the pandemic.
* Has your local come up with an interesting way of sitting people outside? Please email: [email protected] *