Folksworth Village Pub Society (FVPS) designed, distributed and collected a survey of the local community in November / December 2013, to find out what the residents in and around Folksworth really think about our local pub.
The results showed that most of us are pub-goers. When asked “how often do you, or any member of your household, visit any pub?”, 98% of respondents said that they visit pubs at least occasionally, with 38% going to a pub at least once every week or more.
When asked which pubs they use most, 62% of those who completed the survey were users of the Fox pub before it closed. The Bell, the Stilton Cheese and the Talbot were also mentioned as well as several other pubs in the area.
Having a pub in the local area was thought of as important by the vast majority of people, with an average score of 3.8 out of 5. There were 89% of people that rated it as at least ‘quite important’ or higher, including 43% who said having a pub nearby as ‘very important’, and a further 25% who regarded it as ‘essential’.
Everyone who responded said that they would visit the Fox at least occasionally if it re-opened.
For drinks, 46% said that they would go weekly or more often, with a further 16% going once a fortnight and 11% going there for drinks once a month.
A massive 94% of respondents said that they would go to the Fox to eat a meal at least occasionally, and two thirds going once a month or more. This includes 24% going fortnightly, and a further 24% eating out there weekly or more.
In addition to regular eating and drinking, half of respondents said that they would use the Fox for meetings, 65% would use it for parties or functions sometimes, and nearly everyone would use it for village events such as bonfire night or a summer fete.
Everyone said they would like the Fox to offer some sort of food. The most popular options were bar meals (84%), restaurant (73%), and snacks (54%). 40% of people were in favour of a carvery and 40% of people would also like it to offer tea/coffee and cakes.
When asked about the likely times they would want to eat a meal at the Fox, 40% would eat there on weekday lunches sometimes, 40% Saturday lunchtime, 81% would go there for Sunday lunch, 70% on a weekday evening, and 70% on a weekend evening.
People were asked to rate various other services that a pub might offer for importance to them, on a scale of 1 (not important) to 5 (highly important). A family area was the highest scoring, followed by a function room.
We also asked whether people would be willing to help in various ways, if the pub was re-opened under community ownership.The results were very encouraging, with nearly half (46%) of people saying that they would buy shares in the pub if it were community owned (if a suitable share offer was made). In addition to this, several people said they would help with fundraising, offered professional advice or services, or said they would be willing to volunteer to help run the pub if it re-opened!
Most people gave their views on what they would most like to see improved, changed or stay the same about the pub – there were a variety of comments, mostly positive! The most common themes were about food and about the decor/appearance of the pub.
Here is a sample of the comments:
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“Better quality food to save us travelling out to other villages. Regular events like quiz nights used to be very enjoyable.”
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“It needs to gain a good reputation for food around surrounding areas.”
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“Decent sign on the A1, More comfortable and warmer surroundings, pleasant music and friendly atmosphere.”
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“The decor and furnishings need to be improved so that there is a more welcoming feeling.”
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“Merge it with a new village hall”
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“Obviously in need of a lick of paint.”
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“A more 'cosy' environment, real fire. Outside play area.”
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“I liked the food themed nights such as Indian food. The Sunday Quiz nights were always full. Live music nights including Folk nights used to be very popular.”
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“New decor to make it attractive inside & cosy. Better food. Play equipment outside for primary school kids.”
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“Good quality food at reasonable cost, and good ales”
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“Change the Bar to the Restaurant and vice versa. Make kitchen bigger”
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“The Garden needed improving”
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“Marketing - there was minimal marketing i.e. no website or attempt to make it a destination pub which will have to happen in order for this to succeed.”
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“The Fox requires a rural village/community atmosphere and decor which is warm, welcoming and comfortable where all its amenities and grounds could be utilised by the community. It would benefit maybe by simple things such as having a little village history included in the decor.”
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“Small shop for essentials.”
January 2014