Popular Harrogate bar talks about 'pain' of new lockdown

One of Harrogate's best-known bars has talked about how "painful" the second lockdown is likely to be for businesses.
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Previously the the cornerstone of the town's live music scene, the Blues Bar is facing up, like the rest of the town's nightlife, to full closure again from Thursday.

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Simon Colgan, who also runs The Empress on the Stray pub and the Worlds End in Knaresborough with his partner Sharon, said he had been preparing for this eventuality.

Co-owners of Harrogate's Blues Bar, Sharon and Simon Colgan, said: "We are not allowed to do alcohol takeaways so we will be having a complete closure."Co-owners of Harrogate's Blues Bar, Sharon and Simon Colgan, said: "We are not allowed to do alcohol takeaways so we will be having a complete closure."
Co-owners of Harrogate's Blues Bar, Sharon and Simon Colgan, said: "We are not allowed to do alcohol takeaways so we will be having a complete closure."

He said: "We have been expecting this lockdown so its not a shock but is still going to be painful.

"Its not the end of the world, there is always someone worse off than us but it will take a long time to get back to where we used to be."

In normal times, the small but characterful bar located on Montpellier Hill facing the Stray usually presents live music acts seven days a week, from local talent to bigger names such as Julian Cope, John Cooper Clarke and singer Glen Hansard, star of the film Once.

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But now its wooden floorboards will once again be locked away.

There were hopes in the hospitality sector that bars would be allowed to carry on serving takeaways at least.

The Society of Independent Brewers is still calling on the Government to do just that to avoid what it said would be a 'disaster' for the beer industry.

But the Blues Bar says it does not expect that to happen and its main concern is for its staff.

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Simon Colgan said: "We are not allowed to do alcohol takeaways so we will be having a complete closure.

"Our staff will always be our main priority and the reinstatement of the furlough scheme will make sure they are okay."

But SIBA is fighting on. Earlier today, its furious chief executive James Calder said: "As if a second national lockdown in England wasn’t disastrous enough for pubs and independent breweries, Government have gone further this time around and introduced an unjustified restriction banning pubs from selling takeaway beer, a service which was the only source of income for many businesses during the summer lockdown.

"It is nonsensical to impose these new restrictions when pubs have time and time again proved that they are covid secure, both during lockdown when takeaway was their only option and since pubs re-opened on the 4th July. "

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