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When I look back on the past 12 months it always amazes me how much changes, and yet how much remains the same: the ongoing political battles between tied operators and their landlords, the eternal debate about Sky TV, the smoking ban, the recession, and many more… as they say on all good album compilation covers.
2011, for me, has been far different to how I expected it to be when dawn broke on January 1 and Ali and I were picking up the last of the Silly String. (Big cleaning up tip: use a garden vac rather than your vacuum cleaner.) Despite all the forecasts, trade in our pub was stronger this year than the previous one, and that has helped no end, but then there was the closure of The Publican magazine, which I had enjoyed having an affiliation with for the previous four years.
Off the back of it came Inapub, and it was wonderful to be invited by (editor) Matt Eley to be a part of the motley crew that made up the launch of this new magazine.
So many things are different as 2011 comes to a close it makes me quite excited for 2012…
There’s no doubt that the pub trade is still in turmoil and that the above ongoing battles will continue throughout the coming year, and the fiscal doomsayers continue to foresee horrible gloom amongst our bank accounts in the coming months. Like so many who run pubs, Ali and I battle to keep our heads above water and we always worry about what the next quarter will be like regardless of how the previous one performed.
But, for the next 10 days, we’ll be forgetting about that and forging forward with managing one of the busiest periods the trade faces in the year, hoping that at some point in the middle we’ll get a moment’s respite to open some presents with our two boys, Malachy (11) and Jacob (8). (Although Jacob’s already figured out there’s a parcel under the third floor stairs with his name on it; I’m unsure it’ll make it to Christmas morning…)
It just leaves me with enough time to close this blog for 2011. I’d like to take the opportunity to thank the Inapub team for inviting me to work with them this year, and to thank my own staff, children and wife for putting up with me when I shouted at them as a deadline approached, and to thank all of you for reading. I hope you’ll continue to do so in 2012!
Before I go, let’s raise a glass to everybody who’ll be working hard over the Christmas period to provide great pubs with great atmospheres for their customers at this festive time. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year!
Mark Daniels is the licensee of The Tharp Arms in Chippenham, Cambridgeshire
