Peterborough pub landlord’s relief over ‘lifeline’ grants

Stuart, who took over at The Golden Pheasant in Etton, with wife Kirstene in March 2018, had spent two years building up a thriving village pub and restaurant before the pandemic.

He said: “When the government first closed our restaurant/pub it was a very scary. My first thought was - How long this would go on for and how are we going to keep afloat?

“While the government talked about grants being available, I anticipated it would be horrendous and time consuming to claim this and get the money through. “We contacted the city council (which is administering the grants) for more information and got a very helpful lady who talked us through what we had to do and what we needed to send her and true to her word the grant was deposited into our account. This was a huge relief which meant we could continue to pay our over heads and not get into debt.”

As we all know, that wasn’t the end of the matter and after reopening with restrictions over the summer - and converting his marquee to a more spacious socially distanced lounge - more closured followed.

“When the second lockdown came around, we applied online,” added Stuart. “This was so simple a few short steps and the process was completed, and the money deposited again into our bank account.

“This current lockdown I have to say for us was the most daunting as we thought ‘surely the Government won’t run the grants for a third time?’ However, I contacted the council again and was assured the scheme was running for a third time. We were very relieved.

“These grants have been a lifeline to my business, and I am sure also to lot of other businesses out there and I know without the help from government I would be looking at a very different story and, in all probability, would have had to close down.

“The grants looked after overheads which still roll in even though you are closed and also, we used the money on setting up a big socially distanced chill-out marquee outside – turned it into Soul Lounge so people could sit at tables, listen to music and drink which meant the tables in the pub were for dining.”

And his advice to other businesses in the city?

“My advice if someone has struggled with the online process - as not everyone is technically minded – is that the council office is there to help, so call them for them to guide you through the process, it will for sure mean a difference to keeping your doors open for good.”

Peterborough City Council is administering the grant funding on behalf of the Government and during 2020 delivered over £35.5million in business grants, of which £1.65million has been distributed since November and £41million in business rate relief. This has benefited around 2,800 businesses in the city, providing much needed relief from the impact of Covid-19.

To find out if your business is eligible for a grant and to apply, visit the council’s website.