Canpubs, cafes, restaurants and their patrons be trusted during times of crisis?
By bringing last orders forward to 10pm, the government’s opinion on the matter is clear.
It’s a resounding ‘no’.
COVID is suddenly swarming all over Britain again – and the finger of blame is being pointed squarely at the pubs.
The virus enjoyed a fresh lease of life when the quarantine barriers came down in summer, gleefully trampling over the fragile Test & Trace system which folded at the first sign of pressure.
Today, the UK is registering its highest case rate since May.
Yet just a few weeks ago, the government was urging the public to drink and dine out in droves – reassuring them all was safe and well with social distancing measures intact.
Not anymore.
In a spectacular u-turn, it’s been decided that all hospitality in England must shut early from Thursday to halt the spread of COVID – a curfew that could be intact for six months.
COVID has turned hospitality into the black sheep of the economy.
The food and drink sector has been treated like unruly troublemaker that repeatedly needs scolding, reprimanding and restraining in the current dangerous climate.
You can’t the trust the company it keeps, and if you give it an inch, it’ll take a mile.
This is the government’s attitude, but the sector sees things differently.
Pubs, restaurants and cafes have spent half a year trying desperately hard to tick off an ever-changing COVID-criteria checklist with two hands tied behind their back.
So far, they’ve gritted their teeth whilst spinning plates and redecorating.
But the new law – shutting at 10pm – seems like it might just be the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Exhausted, depleted and in some cases downright angry, hospitality is beginning to fight back against its ‘scapegoat’ label.
A social media movement – spearheaded by BarChick – is gaining traction as food and drink outlets argue that their industry “deserves better”.
BarChick has praised the fast implementation of new safety measures, “kick-ass teams” who have “pivoted the way they work”, and the “brave owners” of bars in Britain.
Their argument is that hospitality, by and large, is going above and beyond what is required – and is entitled to more respect.
According to the campaign, less than 5% of new cases have been attributed to the hospitality sector (although it is unclear as to where these stats were obtained).
Martin Greenhow, Managing Director at MOJO – a popular city centre bar in Manchester – called the new curbs “unjust, punitive, illogical and irrational”, claiming there is no “evidence to support the assumption that hospitality is driving infection”.
“Only 35 cases reported in the sector and as of yet no sign of the threatened dramatic upturn in deaths,” said Greenhow.
“The move to curtail the operational hours of our already crippled industry seems unjust and punitive, not to mention illogical and irrational.
“Are people more infectious after 10pm?
“Hospitality has slaved to work responsibly within the constraints laid out for us and now we are being thrown aside with scant concern for the impact these measures will have on our businesses and the wider economy.”
Carl Morris, a representative at Yard and Coop restaurant in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, reassured the public that the venue was still a safe place to visit, urging customers not to be deterred by the curfew.
“As a hospitality business we are finding all the ever changing restrictions extremely challenging and are urging all customers to continue to support our small independent business,” he said.
“We are also reminding everybody that we are a really safe place to come and enjoy a meal out and drinks with their families and households.”
Tonight (Wednesday 23) is the last time pubs will be permitted to remain open past 22:00 until possibly March – which would mark almost a year to the day they were all shut down.
Probably the last time this sign means anything for a while…
Open until 4am in Manchester TONIGHT – come and show us some socially distanced love.
There are some small silver linings for hospitality.
So far, there’s been no second national lockdown, and the food/drinks industry can continue to trade.
Indeed, some other sectors have had it even worse.
Take live music for instance.
Musicians, venue operators and festival hosts have been left feeling abandoned since COVID came along – and would likely give anything to swap positions with hospitality right now.
Some casino staff have been furloughed for so long they’ve probably forgotten the rules of Blackjack, whereas bowling alley workers are also struggling to find their feet again after being closed throughout much of the summer.
The ability to look on the bright side, though, is a necessary trait looking ahead. Hospitality needs to get into the right frame of mind and psych itself up for what is guaranteed to be a true test of mettle this winter.
The Old Wellington and Oyster Bar, pre-COVID
The logic behind the early bell is that closing pubs sooner will result in fewer drunken yobs breaking social distancing rules and prevent people from staying indoors too long – which is what can cause the virus to spread.
Night-time bars will now need to find a way to survive.
Do they open earlier? Do they open on their usual days off? Or do they change the menu to attract more customers during the day?
Some experts have commended the government’s move as necessary, but others are sceptical – claiming the act will just see a rise in house parties.
Wales has already attempted to combat the prospect of gaff raves by banning the sale of booze in shops after 10pm.
Whether England follow suit remains to be seen.
For now, the government continues to keep a hawk-like eye on hospitality.
Only this time, the industry is glaring back.
Feature
You can sleep in a luxury train carriage at an old railway station in Greater Manchester
Thomas Melia
There’s an Airbnb listing in Delph where you can stay in a classic converted train carriage, and it’s even situated in an old train station, so someone buy my ticket ASAP.
Get ready to have the best train experience of your life, as the only cancellation you have to worry about is booking the day off work.
The Carriage at The Old Station is a two-person character property in Delph, Saddleworth that offers you the chance to live out your vintage fantasy by stepping back in time on a luxury static train coach.
It may be situated at an old station, but the interior is refreshing and light with mint blue beams, fuchsia cushions and a royal red carpet and curtains.
As well as a majestic interior, this carriage has an equally impressive amount of amenities, including a Bluetooth sound system, board games and its own indoor fireplace.
This Airbnb is fairly new too, with only 44 reviews to its name – the first only dating back to September of last year; don’t say we don’t find you some absolute gems.
Inside the Airbnb that’s an old converted train carriage.The interior of this Airbnb listing is bold and impressive.
One user even stated, “We regularly stay in five-star locations and this surpassed five-star easily! We highly recommend a stay here.”
While another opened her review with three simple adjectives that we also feel perfectly sum up this train carriage property perfectly: “Opulent, indulgent, extravagant”.
It should come as no surprise that this place is beautiful inside and out, as in the description, host of the property Nigel states he’s a retired designer.
The train carriage stay is also close to a proper country pub, The Old Bell Inn, as well as the Diggle canal walk if you fancy a stroll and a pint before tucking into bed in your old train carriage for the night.
Even the bathroom has pops of colour throughout.You could stay in this train carriage at an old train station.
If you’re after boarding The Carriage at The Old Station and having a fabulous overnight stay or mini holiday of your own, you can find the Airbnb listing and everything you need to know HERE.
Review | Dua Lipa had Anfield levitating on her first night in Liverpool
Thomas Melia
British-Albanian performer and prolific pop star Dua Lipa is halfway through her first-ever international stadium tour, and it’s nothing shy of a spectacle – night one in Liverpool living, breathing, levitating proof.
To say I wasn’t singing more than half of this setlist verbatim would be a lie; the setlist for Lipa’s Radical Optimism tour is stacked with hits upon mega hits.
Her commanding single ‘Training Season’ kicks things off and besides getting the whole stadium hyped up, it sets the tone for the night ahead, one Dua has full control of, and also features a firework or two.
Within 15 minutes of stepping onto the stage, the unofficial anthem of Anfield’s resident football club and recently re-crowned Premier League champions, Liverpool FC, was played.
Dua Lipa performing ‘Physical’ at Anfield Stadium.Smiles all round at the ‘Radical Optimism’ tour in Liverpool.Credit: Audio North
In fact, ‘One Kiss’ was met with an unmatched electric energy that she ended up playing it again later on, because why the hell not?
This isn’t just a song: it’s a beast. When you’re playing a song that’s spent eight weeks at No.1, has 2.5 billion streams and at an arena with a legacy like Anfield‘s, there was simply no way these fans were going to be tame.
Similarly, partway through the second act, Lipa had the audience wrapped around her fingers once more as she played the dance-inducing smash ‘Levitating’. In that moment, we were all her “sugarboos.”
This was a proper crowd-pleasing moment. To be honest, they all were.
As we strut our stuff into the third act, we’re met with another dancefloor filler, ‘Physical’, fans were ready and waiting to chant “let’s get physical” with the superstar.
The fourth act, on the other hand, was much more relaxed. Ms. Lipa took some time to show her love to some of the album’s deeper cuts; I greatly appreciated being able to belt out “How looong?” as she played ‘Falling Forever.’
She finished this segment with the song that started it all, one she’s never forgotten to play since bursting onto the music scene back in 2015: ‘Be The One.’
Dua Lipa and Dave McCabe (The Zutons) performing ‘Valerie’.The superstar taking pictures with fans at Anfield.Liverpool is in for a treat if the second Dua Lipa show is even half as good as night one at Anfield.
Dua, let us tell you something, you’ll always be the one.
The encore felt like the epitome of all things Dua Lipa. It’s like when you hear that one ABBA megamix that has you shouting, “Oh, I know this one… and I know this one too!”
And rightly so, with a back-to-back, four-song medley spanning from ‘New Rules’ and ‘Dance the Night’, to ‘Don’t Start Now’ and ‘Houdini’. Perfect, perfect, perfect.
— DANIEL is calling..☎️💜 (@daniel__SG) June 24, 2025
After this medley, night one of the ‘Radical Optimism’ tour was over, but we and the fans were certainly left feeling radically optimistic.
Come on, how can you not be when the timeless classic ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’ by Whitney Houston is soundtracking your concert exit?
I have one last question for anyone who hasn’t splashed the cash for one of her shows yet… if you’re not watching Dua Lipa live, then ‘Whatcha Doing’?
Lipa had the crowd well and truly in her fingertips.Dua gave quite the performance in Merseyside.An increasing master of not just pop songs but stagecraft too. (Credit: Audio North)