The Angel pub in Paddock had always been popular – but we came up with some crazy schemes to boost trade.
A blank year planner on the office wall soon began to fill up with imaginative and interesting events put forward by customers and staff.
These began to attract large midweek crowds anxious to get involved. Some activities were totally manic – most of them charity-based to help others less fortunate.
We were approached every week for help to raise funds for worthy causes. We would search the media and replicate popular shows or competitions. It amazed us what extremes people would endure for a product T-shirt. From the hundreds we offered, here is a smattering.
Japanese Endurance Challenge (men, women and teams), for garments or prizes. They would eat soggy tea bag sandwiches, green lemons (skin included) etc. As the event developed, more outrageous tests were demanded and they finished up consuming live maggot sandwiches, worms and slugs. Plus much more – too ugly to mention!
Alan ‘Animal’ Hirst always emerged the winner – he could eat and drink just about anything.
Engagements, birthdays, funerals, christenings and weddings were regularly catered for.
Many we filmed and we invited the parties back to re-live their special occasion with us on screen and then gave them a copy as a gift.
We were becoming more accustomed to dealing with the problems and issues that running a pub threw up.
We joined the local Licensed Victuallers’ Associations, took advice from others who had been in the trade for ages and we decided to give the pub a major makeover.
The image change proved popular and the demand for more extraordinary activities grew on a weekly basis. Here are more madcap ideas:
Live music and acts were always complemented by a disco with top local DJs (including the legendary Ash), which kept toes tapping several nights a week.
For five years Tuesday was comedy night. Among the top northern comics were Chrissie Rock and Johnny Casson.
One band from Edinburgh was to influence many regulars and staff members. Guaranteed Pure, who we had met in Spain in 1990, came and played more than 30 times to enthusiastic crowds at The Angel. They were the only band we had who would take requests and play the choices brilliantly.
Ray Wilson, the lead singer, went on to front Stiltskin and later replaced Phil Collins in Genesis.
New Year’s Eve was a monster with hundreds cramming in, wearing superb fancy dress gear, later dancing around the village roundabout at midnight with punters from The Royal Oak! It took ages afterwards to try and find the carpet beneath heaps of rubbish and streamers.
Probably the busiest we have ever seen a pub (other than the old Amsterdam Bar) was staging a series of the popular ITV show Blind Date. Our manager shouted upstairs at 6.15pm: “Can you come down we are rammed with customers!”
We converted the stage and gave contestants some ingenious prizes. Couples were chauffeur driven to top restaurants and night clubs and on one occasion others were driven to Manchester Airport to enjoy a feast in a VIP lounge, then driven down the main runway! To this day we are baffled as to how travel agent Tony Iredale managed to set this up.
Our Huddersfield Strongest Man Contest ran in February for seven years.
Pub Olympics with Angel and the Royal Oak competing in rounders, darts and dominoes etc. Arm wrestling contests with European Champions running the event were quite spectacular. Easter and Christmas parties for young and old were a joy to hold.
One of the biggest summer charity events was The Angel Firkin 5 Furlong race where teams carried an 8 gallon keg (water filled!), down Paddock to the canal and across it on home- made rafts, plus other obstacles, then staggered back to the pub. The winners drank the equivalent in beer.
The teams and groups raised heaps of cash for a children’s ward at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary.
Other zany projects which took much planning by staff and regulars were a team entry in the Examiner Fun Run when an ingenious bar was created on wheels with beer on board to push around the streets. Huddersfield Karaoke (brewery sponsored) championships went on for six years. And somehow we managed to get on Dave Lee Travis’ Darts On Radio One live one Saturday morning.
We won the head-to-head contest against other pubs aided by the captainship of quiz guru David Hoyle, assisted by a packed house. And the exciting Dragon Boat Contests took us through several summers.
After our 10-year tenancy came to an end in 1995 I can say without doubt that most of the time Elaine and I were at The Angel were some of the best and most memorable years of our lives.
And we know the pub also had a massive influence on lots of our staff team and customers alike as we still keep in touch with them.
It is indeed very sad to see this iconic building lose its public house status. But we understand that circumstances, attitudes and demands change.
One thing is for sure there are a million memories for the hundreds of young adults who met there, formed relationships, many of whom got married and had families.
We still meet people who shared some special moments in our bar, some pushing prams along.
To all those who came along good luck and have many happy New Years in the future and recall those we shared with you – if you were able to get in!
The life and times of The Angel in Paddock
1771 – 1781 Joseph Haigh
1781 – 1828 Martha Haigh
1828 – 1893 Joe Marsden
The pub was demolished and re-sited from its location 50 yards further up Longwood Road to its current position.
1894 – 1900 John Henry Bunton
1900 – 1909 No records found
1909 – 1926 Tomas Watkins
1926 – 1953 Alfred and Elsie Kendal
1953 – 1979 Leonard & Mary Tweed
1979 – 1985 Bob and Pat Wallace
1985 – 1995 Brian and Elaine Hayhurst
