RAISING A GLASS ON THE TERRACE

To be printed in the National League South programme v Chippenham Town Saturday 28th August 2021 

That moment captured by our official photography Philip Benton

Tom Derry smashed the ball into the net for his first competitive goal for the Rebels. Boom! Arms, beer and probably a bit too much saliva went flying everywhere. A photo of pure joy that captured the day we had been waiting so long for. 

You couldn’t put a price on that moment.

My pre-pre-pre-match build up had started maybe a little too early the night before, well the afternoon before in the Slough Town pub of choice the Wheatsheaf. Mind you the way things are going it will be the only pub in the village with the Rising Sun and the award winning Rose and Crown shut since my last trip home. How is it possible to just close a pub down? I hope the Rose and Crown, the oldest pub on the High Street and a listed building is just being refurbed. I know people will point to the forever changing demo-graph of the town, but have you been to The Three Tuns? It used to be one of those tumble weed pubs - now its rammed to the rafters with Asians having a drink with a bar menu to drool over. That’s why I ask Slough fans who can afford it, support your local before Wetherspoon is the only boozer in town.

Saturday morning and the big day. Breakfast at my mums, a bus, some Indian food with a family laughing at the steam coming out of my ears ‘You should have had yoghurt with that.’ I also shouldn’t have drunk for 8 hours yesterday but you live and learn. Then back just in time for the Wheatsheaf to open their doors at midday with a cup of tea. I might have peaked too early. As the place filled up with Slough fans it was off on in a taxi with the driver having a traditional moan about traffic. Despite the dual carriageways that intersect Slough it’s still bumper to bumper. Maybe, just maybe there’s too many cars.

Then finally, into the theatre of dreams with DJ Aidan and Phil the Flags mixing it up on the turnstiles with their traditional warm welcome! More beer, catching up with absent friends and then a minute silence for those Rebels who have sadly passed away in the last 17 months

The National League South is even stronger this season, COVID not seeming to dampen the enthusiasm for clubs to splash the cash but still managing to get 3 games in the northern section called off.

As it was I was disappointed with the crowd and the Chelmsford away support but not with the noise. Who would have thought that pitch side drinking would have such health benefits; loosening the vocal chords while stopping COVID congestion at the bar and lowering half time stress levels.

Fast forward a week and I’m back in Brighton in our local community pub The Bevy - closed for five years before we reopened it - for the relaunch of Friday Friends seniors. For some this is the first time they have been out socially since the first lockdown. 

So the campaign starts here to get more clubs in pubs. Food, beer, bingo and endless cups of tea. A win-win for the community and your business. Beats sitting at home. 

Beats your pub being quiet. And more fun than having it in some dusty church hall. But while pubs need to continually reinvent themselves, they also need much greater protection along with other community spaces so property vultures can't buy them up, run them down, then declare they are unviable. Let's see how many become unviable if any profit made from selling a community space has to go back into that community.

We need to stop measuring everything in pounds, shillings and pence. What about the social value of a business? Shouldn’t that count for something? So let’s measure business rates on social good. The more a pub does for its community, the more discount they get. This will encourage all pubs to use their spaces to make good things happen. 

So how about running a lunch club for older people. People with learning disabilities are often desperate to work but are never given a chance, so why not team up with a local college and see if they can gain valuable work experience in the kitchen or behind the bar. Look at the quiet times and see how you can fill them by holding community events and offering rooms for people to meet for free. Anything is possible from garden competitions, art and knitting groups, dementia cafes etc. Display the local schools artwork and run cooking lessons when the kitchen is closed. The more diverse the events, the more diverse the people coming through the doors. There's plenty of community pubs to go and have a look at and nick their best ideas - and drag those councillors and their officers with you. 

Not so long ago Slough Town Football Club was 'unviable'. A homeless financial basket case with one local councillor helpfully suggesting we merge with Windsor. So should the Rebels have been consigned to the history books?

Or maybe: change the management, players and run it a bit better. Start winning games, more people come and watch and hey presto, look they are viable again. 

Just like a successful football club is much more than just 90 minutes on the pitch, a successful pub has to be about much more than just sinking a few pints, not that there's anything wrong with that. 

So isn't it about time Slough had a community owned pub? Or at least a micropub?

Yes we need houses but not at the expense of places where people can meet. Change the bloody record and change the model if its not working, not reach for the close-it-down nuclear option. The Bevy hasn’t got all the answers but we reckon we have a blueprint of how pubs can change and survive into the future.

Because you know what, after so long in lockdown and with a mental health and isolation epidemic, just like your local football club, they are needed more than ever.