COVID-19
The Bell will be staying open until we’re ordered to close. We thought you’d want to know that. It has been a tricky decision to make, but so long as our customers are free to roam we want The Bell to be there for them as the hub of its Walcot community. We will, of course, continue to do everything we can short of closure to ensure the safety of our staff and customers.
One of those things is to cancel all performances of live music after tonight’s [18th March] gig. We’ll miss the music, and we know there’s a bit of a mixed message in keeping the pub open while removing one of its major attractions, but we think it’s the right thing to do. The bands booked for the rest of March will still get their fees because we value our musicians and the contribution they make to good times at The Bell.
We also value our staff, and we have given them as much reassurance as we can about their continuity of employment when we do eventually have to close. (We all know that it’s “when”, not “if”). We will do everything in our power to keep the team together so that they’re back behind the bar when the good times come around again.
These are strange times and the immediate future causes most of us concern. We don’t have answers for all of those concerns (we’re a pub not a counselling service!) but we do know that a good community spirit will help us get through this, and we’ll do all that we can to keep The Bell at the heart of that community.
We thank our customers for their continued support and understanding and wish them well in these difficult times.
