14 October 2023 , 08:44
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The price of a pint seems to go up every time you walk into a pub these days but paying £10,000 for a beer still seems a bit steep - especially when it’s not even poured for you.
But this is the offer a new pub is making to one thirsty punter - the chance to pour their own beer and pay ten grand for the privilege. The Rhubarb Tavern in Bristol is offering the chance to pull the first pint after their re-opening in exchange for the hefty sum.
The Rhubarb was the last pub in the city’s working-class Barton Hill area before it called time for good in 2020. Since then the tavern has sat empty, with squatters and vandals as its only patrons. A group of locals managed to save the boozer from developers, fighting off a plan to turn it into flats. Now, couple Sunny Paradisos and Tara Clerkin have vowed to re-open the local as a place for the community to get together again.
Couple Sunny Paradisos and Tara Clerkin have been enthusiastically supported in their bid to re-open the bar (Rhubarb Tavern)Sunny and Tara, both 33, who are both musicians, say they are hoping to offer more than the traditional two pints of lager and packet of crisps however. Sunny, who also works as a builder and Tara, a pottery teacher and chef, want to use their skills to offer workshops and also make space available for community use.
"The idea of running a pub has been bubbling away for ten years," Sunny explained. "As musicians, we’ve been on tour around Europe and the UK a lot, seen a lot of different pubs and it's given us lots of ideas about what a pub can be. We want to combine our favourite parts of the traditional British boozer with the community, creative spaces we’ve found in bars and venues abroad."
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The Rhubarb was the last pub in the city’s working-class Barton Hill area before it called time for good in 2020 (Rhubarb Tavern)Pubs in Britain are facing challenges, with a recent report showing that two a week have shut their doors in the first half of 2023, with many bulldozed never to return. This includes the infamous case of the Crooked House, which burned down in suspicious circumstances shortly after being purchased by developers. But the Bristol group of regulars are fighting to turn the tide and raise funds to bring The Rhubarb back to life.
Pubs in Britain are facing challenges, with a recent report showing that two a week have shut their doors in the first half of 2023 (Rhubarb Tavern)The boozer shut in 2020 after a change of management and the Covid pandemic, leaving a once-bustling neighbourhood without a single watering hole. The building has remained empty, with water leaking through the roof and vandals ripping copper pipes out of the walls.
Sunny and Tara are trying to raise £35,000 to reopen the pub. “We’re going to work ourselves for free, doing all the plastering and repairing," Tara said. "The property owner has agreed to fix the roof and pipes, if we can raise the money. We’ve got lots of friends who will come and help us with the work and donations of things like tables and chairs."
Sunny and Tara, both 33, say they are hoping to offer more than the traditional two pints of lager and packet of crisps (Rhubarb Tavern)The plans, which include transforming The Rhubarb into a top music venue and community space, will see the couple reopen it as a non-profit Community Interest Company, section by section. “As well as filled rolls, a pool table, darts, Sunday roasts, karaoke, and pub quizzes, we also have a lot of ideas for things we want to have in there, and things we can provide to the community,” said Sunny.
“Music venue, music studio, pottery studio - there’s a large kitchen as well, so we’ll be doing good affordable food and of course the pub itself - so there’s a lot of strings to our bow."
The plans, which include transforming The Rhubarb into a top music venue and community space, will see the couple reopen it as a non-profit Community Interest Company, section by section (Rhubarb Tavern)Sunny said each part of the plans will have a community aspect. “For example we can provide cheap workshops for low-income families, as well as bringing money in to allow us to open up the next bit of the pub," he added. "We have tons of ideas, but maybe local people want something else, like a repair shop or sports events, community groups. We're really open to ideas from the community."
Sunny and Tara are trying to raise £35,000 to reopen the pub. “We’re going to work ourselves for free, doing all the plastering and repairing," Tara said (Rhubarb Tavern)So far, the couple has hit over half of their target through a crowdfunding campaign. The total currently sits at £18,000, with funding rewards like T-shirts, handmade mugs, a BBQ, and VIP tickets to all the pub's gigs for a year. But the most eye-catching reward of pulling the pub's first pint for £10,000 remains up for grabs.
So far, the couple has hit over half of their target through a crowdfunding campaign and raised £18,000 (Rhubarb Tavern)“Obviously it would be amazing if someone was insanely generous enough to make a donation like that,” Tara said. “But we really put it up there for a bit of a laugh, to be cheeky and just on the off-chance a passing millionaire spotted it.
What we have had is loads of smaller donations from hundreds of people who want to see it open again. It’s been amazing everyone has been so kind and the messages of support we’ve had have been lovely. We’re trying to make this a real public house, where everyone’s welcome and there’s something for everyone, and I think lots of people really like that.”
To support the pub's return, go to https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/save-the-rhubarb-tavern-bristol
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