Update on The Air Hostess

Article was also published in the August 2020 Edition of the Tollerton Newsletter.

We’re so pleased to announce that after over a year of hard work The Air Hostess is finally open again!

It’s been a long journey from Everard’s announcing the sale last year, to us raising £165,000 as a community to finally completing purchasing the pub and extending the building. 

There’re still a few jobs to do with finishing off the beer garden and terrace, but the inside of the pub is looking fantastic. We’ve been so impressed by the hard work put in by TurnerFox Construction, Ian Kershaw, Tracy Longworth and the many volunteers who have support the Management Committee in getting the work done.

The Big Day
The Air Hostess Community Pub opened its doors to customers for the first time on Monday 6th July 2020. It was lovely to see everyone enjoying the pub, including the brand-new extension – which has made social distancing within the pub a lot easier to manage. Initially Mark and Rachael were only serving drinks, however food has now been served since the 13th July.

We know some people will feel more comfortable drinking and dining outdoors and so we’re working to get the terrace and outside space ready as soon as possible. Thank you to everyone who has volunteered to help turn this around. At the time of writing we were waiting another week for the garden to be ready so initially some of the car park will be made available for customer seating.

We want to move customers into the garden as soon as possible to open up the parking space for cars and avoid any parking problems – but we can’t do this too soon as the turf is still getting established.

Covid 19 and Visiting The Pub


Now we appreciate that visiting the pub at this time is a personal decision. But for those ready to venture out, safety policies have been put in place to keep everyone safe. Following the guidance released by the Government, this includes;

  • Completion of sign-in sheet, in line with the NHS Test and Trace – this is a temporary record of customers/visitors kept for 21 days in line with GDPR 
  • Indoor gatherings of groups should be made up of no more than 2 households
  • Tables and chairs must not be moved from allocated positions
  • Customers accompanied by children are responsible for supervising them at all times and should follow social distancing guidelines
  • Please use the provided hand sanitizer 
  • Follow the one-way system around the pub 
  • No booking is required to drink in the pub, but if the pub is at capacity you will be asked to queue outside
  • Further policies around using the outdoor spaces will be provided once these areas open.

Whilst we are all getting used to the new way of working, Mark or Rachael will be meeting customers at the door to remind you of the above and explain any changes in accordance with Government advice. 

Sneak Peak

Lastly, we’d like to give you all a sneak peek into the NEW menu! We’re all excited to give it a try. Please visit the new pub website for more information – www.theairhostesstollerton.co.uk

Please note for the first few weeks all tables must be BOOKED prior to your arrival and within one of the following time slots:
MON-SAT
12.00 – 2.00pm
2.30 – 4.30pm
5.00 – 7.00pm
7.30 – 9.30pm
SUNDAY
12.00 – 2.00pm
2.30 – 4.30pm

This is to allow the staff to clean the environment between sessions. Bookings can be placed telephone, please call 0115 648 0439. The above information was correct at the time of writing, in case of changes due to Covid19 please check the website for up to date information.

We hope you enjoy your new community pub!

Whilst we all continue to manage life with Covid 19, some things have had to be put on hold and we are sorry that initial launch events for the pub had to be so low key. Saving our local and launching it as a community pub are tremendous achievements, and we hope that you are all as proud of this as we are. When the time is right, we still plan to celebrate and we’ve had some initial conversations with Mark and Rachael about organising something for shareholders next year.

In the mean time, we’d like to share with you a special thanks to all our initial shareholders and those who have made the pub happen. This ‘wall of names’ takes pride of place on the wall of the pub next to bar. It lists the names of everyone who invested and wanted to be publicly listed.


For those on social media, you can now follow The Air Hostess Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/theairhostesstollerton, run by Mark and Rachael for the most up to date information on the pub. We will continue to share updates on the Flying Club’s Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TollertonCommunityPub, or website – https://tollertontrust.org.uk/  

Cheers!
 

The Flying Club Management Committee

Update in the Tollerton Newsletter

Originally published in the June 2020 edition of the Tollerton Newsletter. For up to date pictures of the refurbishment works currently ongoing at the Air Hostess, please see our new Gallery page.

Covid19 Update.

Who would have thought back in February when we successfully purchased the pub that by June we’d be in the middle of a global pandemic and the pub would yet to have opened? Whilst we still can’t enjoy a pint in our pub, we can at least provide you all with an update of our progress.

Renovations & Extension

As many of you will have noticed, we are full steam ahead with the extension of the Air Hostess pub. There was a time when bricks and supplies were hard to get hold of due to the lockdown but this has now been resolved. The works on the inside have continued as planned, with a new colour scheme, entrance and toilets. Our hope is the extension will now continue, with works on the car park, petanque pitches and garden to follow in the next few weeks.

Our current aim is to get as much completed as possible before the potential reopening of pubs by the Government in mid-July. Throughout the works our aim to complete them as safely as possible, adhering to current Covid19 guidance.

Tenants

Covid19 and the lockdown has resulted in a huge strain on the hospitality industry. Our aim has always been to work closely with our tenants to ensure the future of our community pub. A part of this has been accessing available funding whilst planning for possible future scenarios. We are confident that we can weather this storm with Mark & Rachael.

“We were so close! And of course gutted when the lockdown was announced, pulling the rug from what would have been a fabulous weekend for the long-awaited re-opening of ‘The Stess’.

Frustrating as it is, we’ve certainly been busy behind the scenes and it’s been great to see the building work carrying on at pace, notwithstanding the current restrictions and logistical obstacles to overcome. It’s also been great to chat and share everyone’s enthusiasm for all things Air Hostess when we’ve been out and about in the village.

So all being well, when the pubs are given the green light to reopen, the work will be completed, the sun will still be shining and we’ll be looking forward to welcoming you all sooner rather than later – in whatever form that may be!

Cheers

Rach, Mark and the Team.”

Shares & Sneak Peaks

We’d also like to remind everyone that it is still possible to purchase shares in the community pub. For more information and pictures of the renovations please visit www.tollertontrust.org.uk or email us at communitypub@tollertontrust.org.uk. You can also follow us on Facebook, searching for Tollerton Community Pub or The Air Hostess in the search bar.

Cheers!

The Tollerton Flying Club Management Committee

Supporting Our Tenants during the Corona Virus

Everyone knows during this uncertain time businesses are being hit hard by the recommendations for social distancing and isolation.

Our tenants, Mark & Rachael are currently experiencing this. But ever the innovators they have launched a takeaway menu – including free delivery to those in certain areas!

Please see the menu below and support our local Pub.

The Plough at Normanton Cheers!

Update on the Air Hostess Upgrade!

We’re pleased to share this update and sneak peak into the work currently going on at the Air Hostess. Hopefully it will provide some entertainment and distraction from the current Corona Virus crisis!

Let us know what you think of the works so far!

Our 1 week Anniversary & Building Works Update

We’re a week into owning the pub and the planned improvements are going well!

We’re currently on Stage 1 of the Air Hostess renovations, during which we will be extending the kitchen, building a disabled toilet, updating the male and female toilet as well as some external renovations.

The blue circles highlight the areas in stage 1 of the renovation.

Renovation pictures so far:

Over the next few weeks we’ll continue to share pictures of the work being done, we’re excited to see the finish product!

Air Hostess work to commence!

* Originally posted on the Tollerton Parish Council website*

Refurbishment works at the Air Hostess will start this week.

The Air Hostess was purchased by Tollerton Flying Club and Tollerton Parish Council as a pub for the community at the begining of March and work is now commencing to deliver the community’s vision for it.

TurnerFox Construction & Maintenance have been appointed to take forward the village’s ambitious plans for its new community pub.

The work will provide improved facilities for the community and will be completed in three phases:

  • Phase One – The Essential works needed before re-opening to improve the toilets, kitchen, windows and some decorating.
  • Phase Two – The Extensions and sun terrace
  • Phase Three – The Garden, landscaping and car park

Work on the three phases will overlap. Phase one is due for completion in March 2020, with the remaing phases complete during the Summer.

The community will be invited to help with Phase three, especially the improvements to the garden.

Councillor George Walker who is project managing the site for the Flying Club said “An incredible amount of work has gone into this project behind the scenes and now residents and share holders will start to see the benefit of that at the Air Hostess”

“TurnerFox are the ideal fit for us, they’ll hit the ground running and we’re very pleased to be working with them to develop our community pub.”

Kirston Fox of TurnerFox said: “We are delighted to be working on this project with the local community in Tollerton. Our team has over 50 years’ experience within the industry and we’re looking forward to putting that to good use at the Air Hostess.”

“Nobody likes to see a pub close and the way the community has come together to save this one makes it a special project for us to be involved with.”

Councillor Walker and the TurnerFox Team

Local architect and Councillor Tracy Longworth is overseeing design for the Air Hostess “Last year residents told us what sort of pub they would like the Air Hostess to be and that has shaped the design of the building.”

“We’re also working with the tenants on a welcoming new look for the inside of the pub”

Tollerton Flying Club will be providing updates to shareholders and on their website as the building works progress.

Please note that the Air Hostess, car park and gardens are now a working building site and should not be enteredDetails of the pub re-opening will be released by the Flying Club during March.

The Building Works Begin!

As a part of our ambitious plans for The Air Hostess to become a pub which serves the community, we’re embarking on the first phase of improvement works within the Pub.

In this first phase we will be;

  • Extending and renovating the Kitchen
  • Renovating the Male and Female toilets
  • Installing a new Disabled Access toilet
  • Replacing and upgrading some of the windows and external panelling
  • Redecorating the Bar and Lounge areas

Here’s a sneak peak of how the work is going so far!

In the Press

Since announcing that we’ve purchased The Air Hostess we’ve been appearing in the local press again.

The West Bridgeford Wire published an article celebrating the purchase.

Plus our Secretary Rob Barrett and Rachael Hughes, one of our new tenants, featured on BBC Radio Nottingham. Click below to download the recording.

Thank you to both for featuring our community pub!

🥳 Proud Owners of The Air Hostess! 🥳

🥳 Proud Owners of The Air Hostess! 🥳

We are so pleased, happy and ecstatic to announce that The Air Hostess is now owned by the Tollerton Flying Club!

Tollerton Flying Club Chairman Matt Garrard getting the keys to the pub.

After months of hard work and dedication from the steering group and management committee, today we finally exchanged and completed on our purchase with Everads Brewery.

We have been amazed and overwhelmed with the support and positive reception there has been from people far and wide, from locals of Tollerton Village to far flung places around the world!

We’d like to give special mention to the following people, who have been instrumental in getting this purchase to completion.

  • Everyone on the Management Committee
  • Previous members of the steering group – Mark Jones, Martin Goodman and Steve King.
  • Tracy Longworth and Brian Cather for drawing up the plans for our new and improved pub.
  • Tim Ward at Everards and Matthew Hudson at Ancora Law for working on the sale.
  • Plunkett Foundation and Key Fund for providing some of the funding
  • And last but not least all our shareholders for investing in the Pub. 

We’re now looking forward to getting stuck in with improvement works within the pub, with an aim to get it up and running ready for the Summer sun!

via GIPHY

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