A pub in Oldham has issued a lengthy apology after telling a customer that breastfeeding their baby on a Friday night was ‘not acceptable’.
The Angel Inn in Lees had been responding to a negative review from a customer, who had claimed they were told to leave as children and dogs were not allowed in the pub after a certain hour.
The scathing review blasted the pub for ‘shocking customer service’ and ‘money grabbing behaviour’.
The Angel Inn responded to the reviewer: “You also proceeded to breast feed your baby in a pub at 8.30 on a friday night whilst drinking strong alcoholic spirits that is not acceptable,” – a statement that they have since apologised for.
The initial review left for The Angel Inn. Credit: Facebook
The pub claims that the group of four adults, two dogs and a baby arrived and ordered drinks before it was noted that they had animals and an underage person in their party.
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They say that pub staff allowed the group to stay and finish their drinks and told them they would need to leave afterwards, but that the group ‘totally took advantage’.
The Angel Inn posted: “They [dogs and children] are not allowed in on a friday night at 8.30pm but seen as one of your members of the party ordered drinks before mentioning you had dogs our staff happily allowed you to stay to have the one drink to which your party totally too advantage off by dragging it out as long as possible, playing pool and lying all your coats on the floor of the tap room for the dogs.”
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Their response continued: “You also proceeded to breast feed your baby in a pub at 8.30 on a friday night whilst drinking strong alcoholic spirits that is not acceptable but yet again as my staff are polite they still offered to let you atay and deink your drink to which they did not have too.”
After receiving backlash from people for their breastfeeding comment, The Angel Inn issued a public apology, saying they are ‘upset and deeply sorry for any distress caused’.
They wrote: “We would like to publicly apologise for a comment made earlier by myself which I worded wrong and understandably caused offence. Myself and the staff working here have absolutely and rightly so no problem with breastfeeding, and that is not what the issue is about.
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“Rather than responding to the private messages and comments we are receiving I’d like to address the situation publicly.
“A group came to our establishment yesterday evening whilst I wasn’t on the premises and was served by my staff. The situation was not handled in our best interest as regrettably the group was served within hours that we do not allow children or animals on the premises for the safety reasons. We had a large band due to start and the group came in with two large dogs and a newborn baby. They was asked to move into the taproom (a quieter area) and told they could finish their drinks however they needed to leave soon due to our license.
“The group was clearly unhappy about this which is why the initial bad review has been made, please accept my apologies for the bad use of words made toward breastfeeding as that is not what was meant, my staff informed me that the woman breastfeeding was drinking spirits and the group was drunk with a newborn baby which encouraged my response to the initial complaint (worded wrong which is why I’m apologising as these are not my views).
“The group took advantage of our lenience with regards to our rules by drinking at their leisure and proceeding to play games of pool after being informed again they needed to drink up.
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“Upon reflection, we understand the group should not have been served in the first place which is something we will address with our team.
“Please be mindful that whilst you slander the business, tagging newspapers and private messaging the owners with threats and insults, the livelihood of many people is at risk which is unfair based on a comment made by one person. As owners, we put our hearts and souls into this pub. We are upset and deeply sorry for any distress caused by this situation.”
Featured image: Google Maps
Oldham
Iconic ice cream cafe Grandpa Greene’s to ‘completely demolish’ canalside location, revealing big new plans
Daisy Jackson
Grandpa Greene’s fans have just one month left to visit the ice cream company’s iconic canalside cafe, with the team announcing its imminent closure – but not for too long.
The family-run business has huge plans for the site, announcing that it will be ‘completely demolishing’ the Diggle cafe to redevelop it into a new space.
This ice cream brand is one of the North West’s favourite food producers, creating dozens of ice cream flavours to serve from their parlours, as well as indulgent treats like pancakes, afternoon teas, hot chocolates, and milkshakes.
The location that most people think of when they think of Grandpa Greene’s is their spot right on the canal in Diggle, but after more than 20 years, it’s time to give the site some TLC.
Grandpa Greene’s has operated from here since 2005, when Carole Scholes opened an ice cream ‘shed’.
Now, they want to turn it into ‘the ultimate hospitality destination’, with reclaimed Cheshire brickwork, huge windows, and a vaulted roof, making the most of the scenic surrounds.
Rick Scholes, managing director at Grandpa Greene’s Luxury Ice Cream, said: “In 2005, my mum, Carole, opened a small canalside ice cream shed in Diggle after bringing my grandfather’s original family ice cream recipes back to life. None of us could ever have imagined where that journey would lead.
Grandpa Greene’s existing canalside location in Diggle will closeThe family-run business has grand plans for the siteCredit: The Manc Group
“Over the last 21 years, Grandpa Greene’s has grown organically thanks to the incredible support of our customers, our team and the local community. It’s amazing to think that what started as a small canalside ice cream shed will soon become the ultimate hospitality destination.
“This redevelopment represents the biggest investment in the history of our Diggle site and our commitment to securing the future of Grandpa Greene’s for many years to come.
“While we’re preserving everything that has made this place so special, we’re creating a fantastic new space that can be enjoyed all year round including one of the biggest milestones for the site… indoor toilets!
“We close our Diggle site this September to begin this exciting new chapter and look forward to welcoming guests back in December.
“On behalf of my family, thank you to everyone who has supported us over the last 21 years. We can’t wait to welcome you back and share the next chapter of the Grandpa Greene’s story.”
All Brewers Fayre and Beefeater locations across the UK are closing down
Danny Jones
It looks to be the end for not one but two of Britain’s best-known and long-running restaurant franchises, as Brewers Fayre and Beefeaters will be closing down all of their locations.
Dating back to the mid-1970s, there will soon be none left anywhere in the country
The pair of recognisable chains, owned by parent company Whitbread PLC – who also own Premier Inn, hence why they usually come as a joint package – have nearly 200 sites across the UK, but they are already in the process of a wholesale shutdown.
News of the impending closures first began circulating back in April, but now the process is said to be fully underway, with multiple Greater Manchester names on the chopping block.
A real shame all brewers fayres are closing down. As a member they’ve sent me a last free main. So enjoying a mixed grill pic.twitter.com/EIHMZ7LCvv
— Daniel Turner⚽️ 🏟️ 1️⃣1️⃣5️⃣8️⃣ (@puffpuff65) August 4, 2026
With roughly 3,800 staff set to be made unemployed as part of the major restructuring by Whitbread, the job cuts will see approximately 12% of their workforce laid off from a total of around 30,000.
One local duo due to face the music is the soon-to-close Stable Gate in Denton and Wheatlea Park in Wigan – both of which are Brewers Fayre branches.
89 of the brand’s boozers have been given until early September (some dates may vary) to shut up shop and hold not just their last orders, but their final dinner service full stop.
The rest of the venues closing next month are Beefeater pubs, including the Heaton Park one in Crumpsall, The Quay House at Salford Quays, and the Whitgate Inn over Oldham way.
As for others nearby, Macclesfield’s Springwood Park is also set to close.
The older of the two British mainstays is Beefeater, which was founded by Whitbread back in 1974 when they opened their first pub, The Halfway House, down in Enfield.
Brewers debuted up North in ’79, with a maiden watering hole called The Farmers Arms in Preston, before going on to open several locations around Lancashire and eventually nationwide.
Most of you will likely have visited or at the very least passed one of those food and drink spots in your time, and while they may be more associated with hotels and service stations these days, they still served as regular haunts for plenty of people who will no doubt be gutted to see them go.
Speaking of services, another big name is expanding further into the North West.
Daisy Jackson -
10th August 2022 
