Nick Gibb visited the Maypole Inn in Yapton to mark the end of the first week of the pub’s reopening following its closure on 4 November due to Covid lockdown restrictions.
The Maypole reopened on Monday 17 May. The owners and managers of the pub, Ian and Sam Smith, have used the lockdown period to develop their plans for a micro brewery, Yapton’s first local brewery.
The Smiths are already considering names for their beers, based on catch phrases used by some of their regular customers: “Alright my lovely”; “What Not”; and “How’s it going”.
The Maypole is a very popular local pub and the business is doing well, despite the remaining Covid safety rules.
Nick Gibb said: “It’s good to see the Maypole Inn and other local pubs and restaurants reopening for business as we enter Step 3 of the Roadmap. The success of the vaccination programme and low infection rates means we can cautiously begin the process of relaxing some of the important safety measures introduced to help tackle this appalling virus.”
Photo: from left - Sam Smith; Ian Smith; Nick Gibb - behind the bar at the Maypole Inn