Normanton pub reopens after £244k refurbishment

The Midland Hotel on Market Street will rggreopen on Wednesday, December 6 after the £244,000 investment.

The establishement is part of Proper Pubs, the community operator division of Admiral Taverns, which has more than 190 pubs across England, Scotland and Wales.

Behind the bar are community heroes and passionate operators Hayley and John Glister who have more than 20-years’ experience in the industry having both grown up working in hospitality.

The husband-and-wife duo have lived in the surrounding area their whole lives – with Hayley’s great aunt serving as the Mayor of Normanton and her grandmother as a local councillor – and look forward to creating a family-friendly social hub.

For Hayley, it is a particularly poignant moment as the Midland Hotel is where her parents had their first date.

John Glister, operator of the Midland Hotel, said: “The pub is going to look fantastic, and I can’t believe the transformation already.

"We’re really excited to get behind the bar, meet all our customers and support our local community.

"We’ll be starting off by collecting food for a local food bank, and donations to get a defibrillator installed.

"Pubs are the hub of their community, and Normanton pub reopens after £244k refurbishment.”

Inside, it will have brand new furniture, flooring, fixtures and fittings throughout to modernise the overall look and feel.

In addition, it also will feature a new bar, several flat screen televisions hosting Sky Sports and TNT and a games room complete with a brand-new dartboard, pool table and DJ booth.

Outside, the Midland Hotel will boast brand-new lighting and signage to greet customers, as well a newly renovated spacious beer garden seating up to 50 people.

The outdoor area will be fitted with new wooden benches, a television screen and a covered area to ensure it can be enjoyed all-year round.

For opening night, the pub will be celebrating with a special live performance from Castleford-based duo, Small Town Sounds, starting at 8.30pm on December 6.

On top of the wide range of drinks offers, Hayley and John look forward to introducing a regular schedule of entertainment including DJ nights every Friday and Saturday evening, weekly quiz and games nights as well as monthly live music evenings.

Moving forward, they hope to form a darts, dominoes and pool team and become the sponsor of a local sports team.

In the lead up to Christmas the operators will host several fundraising initiatives such as Christmas jumper days to raise money for local charities and community groups in need of extra support at this time of year.

Matthew Gurney, operations director for Proper Pubs, said: “I’m really excited about the opening of The Midland. The team has worked hard on the refurbishment, and we’re just finalising the finishing touches ready to open in just over a week.

“On behalf of the Proper Pubs team, we would like to wish our community heroes, Hayley and John, every inch of success for the future in making the Midland Hotel a fantastic hub of the community.”