Blackburn teacher quits classroom to reopen Abbey Village pub (From Lancashire Telegraph)
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Blackburn teacher quits classroom to reopen Abbey Village pub
2:45pm Wednesday 30th November 2011 in Abbey Village
A TEACHER is swapping the blackboard for the specials board after quitting the class-room to reopen a village pub.
Alan Issott, 50, who has taught business studies at Our Lady and St John High School in Shadsworth for the past six years, is the new landlord at the Hare and Hounds, Abbey Village.
The pub, the only one in the village, has been closed for more than six months, but Alan, along with his wife-to-be Viv Smith, has taken on the challenge of restoring the hostelry’s fortunes.
He said: “I very much enjoyed my teaching career but I fancied a complete change of direction.
“I’ve always harboured ambitions to run my own pub and decided to do something for myself.
“I’ve spoken to many of the neighbours and former regulars and they say the pub closing has had a profound effect on village life.
“They say it’s been missed and is a focal point for the village.
“The premises have undergone a complete refurbishment and both Viv and I are raring to.”
The Hare and Hounds, which is run by Enterprise Inns, will open up again on Friday, December 2, and shortly after will begin serving food, with “home-cooked, hearty English classics” the theme of the menu.
Mr Issott added that he hoped as well as the village trade, the pub would attract ramblers and people enjoying the nearby countryside “There are the reservoirs and some wonderful countryside walks nearby so I’m hoping we’ll become a stop off point them,” he said.
Comments(21)
darwen offshore
says...
3:12pm Wed 30 Nov 11
shytalk
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3:59pm Wed 30 Nov 11
pepperpot531
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4:08pm Wed 30 Nov 11
thequietone
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4:15pm Wed 30 Nov 11
Stone Island
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4:27pm Wed 30 Nov 11
ossylad
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4:49pm Wed 30 Nov 11
darwen offshore wrote:Well that's put me off straight away,dog friendly,no thanks!!
Excellent that this pub will be open again, quite often walk over there from Darwen. Hopefully it will still be dog friendly.
happycyclist
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5:11pm Wed 30 Nov 11
ossylad wrote:It will almost certainly be dog-friendly. There are too many potential customers with dogs who go walking around there. Banning dogs would lose them a lot of custom.
darwen offshore wrote:Well that's put me off straight away,dog friendly,no thanks!!
Excellent that this pub will be open again, quite often walk over there from Darwen. Hopefully it will still be dog friendly.
Ex-Darrener
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7:09pm Wed 30 Nov 11
sparrowlegs78
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8:32pm Wed 30 Nov 11
Ex-Darrener wrote:Thats put me off, rather have a dog near me than someones spawn, if you want kids, look after them, don't have them screaming down my ear and throwing crumbs about, orrible little germbags.
Best of luck to the new hosts. We used to enjoy going in there. Never mind the dogs - hopefully it will still be child-friendly.
Your ferret stinks
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1:15pm Thu 1 Dec 11
louderfasterlonger
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3:40pm Thu 1 Dec 11
People would drive over for a meal on weekend evenings and the car park was chocca !
Good luck !
doylesj
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12:21pm Fri 2 Dec 11
Your ferret stinks
says...
6:26pm Fri 2 Dec 11
doylesj wrote:Absolutely fantastic! This would then cater for all.
The pub area will be dog friendly but there is a restaurant area which will be strictly no dogs allowed. There is a wide range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages available. The pub will also be child friendly.
Look forward to coming in for a pint of real ale and enjoying warm hospitality as it's allways been.
Good luck to all and see you soon!
sparrowlegs78
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7:51pm Fri 2 Dec 11
Your ferret stinks
says...
9:44pm Fri 2 Dec 11
sparrowlegs78 wrote:Whilst i can understand your comments about not wanting to be interrupted by other people's childeren i find your comment also somewhat fraught when you say "decent people" almost like anyone with kids are unclean?
Get some family eating areas then, let them have their ratbags running about near them then, some decent people like to enjoy time away from kids!
Strange? would you not say coming from a decent person?
sparrowlegs78
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8:19pm Sat 3 Dec 11
If you have kids, they are for YOU to look after not the rest of society.
sparrowlegs78
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8:20pm Sat 3 Dec 11
If you have kids, they are for YOU to look after not the rest of society.
Your ferret stinks
says...
12:09pm Sun 4 Dec 11
sparrowlegs78 wrote:Hang on a moment, We are talking about the inside of a pub when you make reference to kids roaming around? is that correct? secondly, if i take any kids to a pub for a meal i really don't think i would get very far in expecting "you" or "the rest of society" in feeding them or having fun with them because "you" would rather see them starve from your comments. Bahh humbug!!
Decent people wouldn't let their kids roam around, alas, most I've met don't care that their kids are messing about, as long as they have some "child free time"
If you have kids, they are for YOU to look after not the rest of society.
sparrowlegs78
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8:03pm Sun 4 Dec 11
Sadly I see this all too often, lazy parenting seems to be mainstream.
mojo jumbo
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4:17pm Mon 5 Dec 11
happycyclist says...
2:47pm Wed 30 Nov 11