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!

🥳 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

A Poem from a Shareholder

A Poem from a Shareholder

Thank you to Sally Taylor for this wonderful little poem about our Community Pub.

Tollerton Community Hub
 
What is a community pub?
Is it the local people’s hub?
A place where they can all meet
For a drink and something nice to eat
A place to perhaps share a hobby
Or sit and relax and just be
Away from the stress and strain
To chat together or play a game
To taste a new beer or ale
A strong one or a wheaty pale
To set off in a jolly group
To create a new sporting troupe 
To have a go at craft or make
Something new or even bake
To learn a skill or hear a talk
Or find a friend for your dog walk
Lots of things our pub can be
But I like the idea of the BFG (best for grub)!
 
February 7th 2020 
 
Cheers Sally Taylor 

If you have any art, poetry or any creative work about the Community Pub we’d love to see it and share it on our website. Please email us and let us know.

Future of the Air Hostess – Part 6

Article first published in the Tollerton Village Newsletter, January 2020 Edition. Written by Steve King.

As most of you will know, efforts that started back in mid-April and ended in mid-October, concluded with the village being given permission by Everards Brewery, to attempt to purchase the Air Hostess as a community pub.

The following month saw the preparation of materials for a share launch presentation event, held at Tollerton School on Wednesday 20th November. The idea was to present a vision of a future community pub that villagers could be excited by, and support where possible.

Over 200 people attended. They learnt that the price for purchasing the pub (and land) was £295,000 and of plans for upgrades and improvements, that would lead to additional costs. The details of the intended access to loans and grants, to aid the purchase of the pub were also outlined.

It was explained that it was hoped villagers would play an important role in applying for shares capital of up to £170,000 in value. This figure consisted of £50,000 to buy the pub and a further £120,000 intended to be used to provide an upgraded pub, that the community could be proud of. The share offer would be open from November 20th to December 18th. The reaction at the event was very positive with many expressing gratitude for the efforts in gaining the village the opportunity to purchase its pub.

A second smaller launch event was held at the Parish Rooms on Sunday 8th December for those who were interested but unable to attend the original school event.

As I write this on the 12th December (prior to a pre-Christmas print deadline for the newsletter of December 11th), there are 8 days until the Share Offer closing date. We have so far raised more than £86,000 in Share Capital, more than halfway to our target.

By the time you read this, the Share Offer closing date will have passed and the amount raised will have risen further. The nearer the money raised is to the target of £170,000, the more the number of planned improvements that will be financed.

The final figure raised will be well publicised around the village and online at: https://tollertontrust.org.uk/ and https://www.facebook.com/TollertonCommunityPub/ site.

I think the sums raised are heartwarming and I know the steering group would like to give a massive thank you to each of you who have turned out at events and especially to those who have contributed by buying shares. The first tranche of emails thanking those who’ve brought shares have been sent out and all who buy shares who in due course be sent such an email.

A New Tenant for a New Start

A New Tenant for a New Start

We’re excited to finally share some amazing news with you.

Since day one question everyone on the steering committee has been asked again and again,

Who’s going to be the next tenant of the Air Hostess?

Over the last few months we have had the pleasure of speaking with several potential tenants. Each one presented great ideas and enthusiasm for our community pub, but one in particular stood out.  

We’re are now pleased to announce that Mark & Rachael Hughes from the Plough in Normanton will be joining the Tollerton Flying Club family. 

Steering Committee members Matt, Ant & Rob great the new Tenants Mark & Rachael

If you’re local to Tollerton you will probably know Mark and Rachael have achieved fantastic things over at the Plough. Over the last few year they have been awarded Best Public House 2019, Best Dining Pub 2019, Second Place with Special Mention Special Recognition Award, and Runners Up for Best Sunday Lunch.

Both Rachael and Mark are local to Tollerton and really understand our wishes for a pub which focuses on families, food and beer! They currently run a whole host of community events and activities from the Plough and they’re excited to take this a step further with the Air Hostess. 

Furthermore their experience of bringing a pub back to life will prove invaluable to the future success of the Air Hostess and together we aim to have the pub open by early March. We’ve still got the paperwork to do but as you can see they’re already getting stuck in behind the bar, checking the beer!

Mark & Rachael – Our new Tenants

Hi Tollerton

Now that the news is out, we want to say that we are over the moon that we’ve been successful in our tender to run The Air Hostess. The ‘Stess is close to our hearts as it’s where Rachael pulled her first pint and Mark’s first ‘stomping ground’.  So now, we are really excited with this new opportunity and can’t wait to work with the community to establish a successful and thriving pub for Tollerton. We look forward to seeing you in The ‘Stess when we open and will be sharing more news over the coming weeks, but for now, cheers!

Mark and Rach

From our time spent with Mark and Rachael, it was clear their passion for great service and the pub industry made selecting them the obvious choice. So we hope you will all join us in welcoming them and their staff to the Air Hostess.

We’d also like to remind you that we’re still working towards a target of £170,000. We’ve raised enough to purchase the pub but we would really love to create the dream environment our village and our new tenants deserve! 

The share offer will close on the 31st January. 

You can purchase top up shares at £50 a share, and shares can now be purchased for children and young people. Plus there are options for business sponsorship and donations – please either email communitypub@tollertontrust.org.uk or attend one of our drop in sessions for details. 

🥳🌟🎉 £139,350 🎉🌟🥳

🥳🌟🎉 £139,350 🎉🌟🥳

Wow! Just wow 🤩, we did it! We’ve raised more than enough to purchase the pub. 🍻

Thank you  😀

Thank you to the 283 people who have purchased shares.

Thank you to everyone who has volunteered their time, shared information and promoted our cause to friends and family.

Thank you to everyone who have supported this project so far and have believed in the Community Pub.

We’re still a little bit short of the ideal total to transform the pub into a community facility we’re all proud, and new applications for share can still be made.

But we can go into Christmas confident that we’ve saved the Air Hostess for the village – what a fantastic early Christmas 🎄 present 🎁.

The Steering Committee are going to take a little rest of the festive period, which your Facebook feeds and post boxes will probably be pleased to hear about! 😄

We will be back in the New Year with what happens next and how we complete the final push! 🥂

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