It is with relief, pride and anticipation that I can report that the Royal Oak opened for business this weekend. On a chilly but bright Friday evening we were able to welcome almost eighty guests to socially distanced tables where they received service from our volunteer staff. The evening went very smoothly and all present seemed to enjoy the opportunity to celebrate the success of reaching this milestone in our HOTV project. Particular thanks should go to Simon Dauncey for his diligent efforts that resulted in a full bar service.
In a unique circumstance, the first pint pulled in the reopened Royal Oak was drawn by Peter Nicholas. Peter is a resident of the village who appeared in the photo on the cover of our Business Plan which showed the Royal Oak in 1945, when his parents ran the Pub. Peter himself was actually born in the Pub several years earlier. Our thanks to Pete for this moment of poignant significance.
While the current Covid restrictions remain in place, the Royal Oak will remain open from Thursday to Saturday 6-9pm, and on Sunday from 12-3pm for outdoor, at table service. Opening hours will be reviewed as regulations change. However, the facility for a drink and a snack exists throughout the day when the shop is open. We are no longer asking that reservations be made for the Pub as there is enough seating capacity to cover nearly all circumstances, however guests will still be required to register either through the NHS app or manually.
Following the failure of the Zoom link at the start of our last monthly meeting, the minutes can be viewed at https://www.stokestgregory.
If anyone who was not able to join the meeting wishes to view the recording of the meeting they can do so by contacting secretary@HOTVSSG.org