Community joy as Bollington pub The Church House reopens
By Alex Greensmith 22nd Apr 2024
A pub near Macclesfield has reopened, after a long-period of closure.
The Church House, of Church Street in Bollington, has been took over by the same team that owns The Crown Pub in Knutsford.
Publican Amanda 'Mandy' Dolan met with Macclesfield Nub News, to discuss what the new management means for the pub.
"We love that it is a local community pub, and had a reputation of having really good food", said Mandy.
"And we have done that at The Crown in Lower Peover, so thought we could cookie cut and replicate that here too at The Church House.
"Our goal is to open the bar area first, and to understand what the local community want from it. Because at the heart of it, it is a community pub, it is their pub, not mine. I am just here pulling the pints for them, but to get them in I need to know what they want.
"We have found out that people are looking for a food option, which we are going to do, and offer live music as well.
"They'd like to see different events, and we have reached out to the community as a whole from the Rotary Club, British Legion, and Bollington Initiative Trust to say if they want to utilise our function room, they can for no charge.
"I have been here for four weeks, and the people of Bollington are a great bunch."
"The people have been very welcoming, they are glad to see it back open, and to see it get a new lease of life. People were very concerned that it was going to be made into housing or flats. But we are here, we are open to serve the community."
They are about to start with food, but in the meantime Macclesfield chefs such as Japanese Kitchen will be doing pop-ups there.
A long-term goal is to prepare the B&B rooms upstairs for overnight stays as Mandy says 'that is something that Bollington is crying out for'.
Mandy, who has decades of experience in running companies but is running just her second pub, shared what pubs mean to her: "Pubs are all about community. You are offering a service, some people want to come in have a quiet pint, others want to come in, have a drink a chat."
2023 figures suggest two pubs close in England and Wales every day, so to see this one reopen is a victory not just for Bollington, but preserving the national cultural institution of the Great British pub.
"But pubs are not just a place to come and drink", said Mandy.
"They are a great place to meet, or come relax after a walk.
"It was a long journey for us to come here, but we are here to stay. Even though we haven't done much with the place, everyone is saying it is totally a different pub. Thank you to everyone for their support so far, and to the wider Macclesfield community please come down for a pint!"
The Church House has two parking spaces, and a beer garden which will come into its own this summer.
The pub had been closed for the better part of year, until Mandy and her team reopened it.
The current opening hours are: Monday 4pm to 10pm, Tuesday 4pm to 10pm, Wednesday 4pm to 10pm, Thursday, 4pm to 10pm, Friday 12pm to 11pm, Saturday 12pm to 11pm, Sunday 12pm to 10pm.
Macclesfield: You can follow The Church House on Facebook.
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