A VILLAGE pub is literally throwing itself into the close-knit community of which it is the focus.
A children’s ball pool is a popular new attraction for the mums and tots group which meets at the Scape House in High Street, Scapegoat Hill.
Fifteen mums and their under-threes hold weekly Monday sessions at the reopened pub, which is putting itself at the hub of the village.
Claire Lodge, mother of five-year-old Ellie and Nathan, three, said licensee Matthew Harper and his business partner, Stewart Humphries, offered a warm welcome to everyone.
She added: “They have done so much fundraising for the community, including the playschool. It’s great that we can meet at the pub and have a good gossip and a good moan about life!”
The pub, which had been closed for several months, reopened in March and has since had a £40,000 refit.
Since then it has also played host to lunches for the village’s Friendship Club for the elderly and a holiday club during the summer.
There are also plans to put up a community Christmas tree.
Stewart said: “This is an extremely close-knit community and we wanted the pub to again become a big focus for that.
“Because of the smoking ban we have been able to welcome mums and children into the pub and the tots group provides that opportunity.
“The pub had been closed for more than six months before we took over, so things had quietened down. But we were keen to revive that community feel and spirit again.”
But there’s no chance of the mums having a quick tipple to get them through the day.
The bar is closed during the morning sessions but mums are provided with tea, coffee and biscuits and there is juice for the children. The pub also provides them with snack lunches.
