With pubs across the UK closing at an alarming rate, the Mirror meets the Forester Five, five friends who had never pulled a pint before they pooled their savings to buy a £470,000 freehouse in Deal, Kent
A long-neglected seafront pub with peeling bright blue paint caught the eye of five swimmers as they bobbed about in the chilly waves. One of the year-round sea dippers joked they should buy it. Months later they took the plunge and did just that. In July, the women pooled their savings to buy The Forester for £470,000 at auction, saving the 19th century pub in Deal, Kent, from demolition or redevelopment. Now Jane, Becky, Pascale, Megan and Gemma, known as the Forester Five, are being applauded by locals for saving what they call “the only real pub in Deal”.
None of the Forester Five had even pulled a pint let alone run a pub but drinkers are flocking to the place. Thankfully, they are bucking a national trend, with one pub a day shutting in England and Wales last year due to cost pressures. The Mirror’s Your Pub Needs You campaign has long called for better support for pubs, recognising our struggling boozers as important community spaces. We are backed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer who has said trips to his old local show: “I’m not just supporting your campaign, I’m voting with my feet.”
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UK landlords protested about Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ business rate changes in her November Budget. But the PM’s spokesman said she had delivered a £4.3billion support package for pubs, restaurants, and cafes as hospitality is a “vital part of our economy”.
Mum-of-three Gemma Jackson, 45, who works in financial services tech, is alarmed at the rate of pub closures. “They’re bought and turned into houses by property developers, it’s sad. We couldn’t bear for the same thing to happen to The Forester. It’s in such a good location on the seafront, it’s got ‘luxury flats’ written all over it.
“The Great British pub in many ways is like a church… just with more drinks on offer. It’s a place anyone and everyone can go, alone or with friends – a home from home. They’re the beating heart of the community. To lose them would be a travesty. I don’t think people realise how crucial a pub is to some people. Some of our regulars are older and they may have lost partners. They come in and they have a good chat. It’s important to them.”
Dressmaker and mum-of-two Megan Smith, 45, says: “Hatching the plan to buy the pub was so exciting. We kept it a secret – we didn’t tell a soul – only the five of us knew. The whole auction experience was exhilarating and we emerged the other side as five incredibly proud landladies.”
Pascale Colony, 53, who works in fashion, says: “For some, it’s nearly like an extension of their lounge. They know each other, they see each other every day.” Jane Kesley, 61, a media director, says: “A lady who makes sausage rolls every week brings them in for the other customers.”
Entrepreneur Becky Artmonsky, 55, says: “It’s a bit like the Cheers song that says ‘you wanna go where everybody knows your name’ – that is the heart of a pub, and I do think there is something quite special about ours. You will never go in and not find someone to chat to. It’s really lovely.”
It has been a baptism of fire for the Forester Five who took over in August. Gemma says: “The first pint I pulled was in the Forester. I’ve been getting tips from the regulars. I’ve loved learning about all the elements: the temperature, the glass, the way you pour it.”
None of the women have given up their full-time day jobs and are proud to say they have kept on all six pub staff. Breathing new life into the tired building, they have replaced windows, turned the peeling paint a beautiful shade of green, and updated the wine list. They’ve also put on lots of events to lure new customers in and make money for more planned renovations.
Becky says: “We have music, quiz nights, bingo, comedy and a games night. New Year’s Eve was our biggest night so far – the place was packed.” The in-house team is all women. But this is nothing new for the pub. The Forester has a long tradition of women at the helm.
A new plaque at its entrance says: “Charlotte Ralph 1886-91, Susan Faucheux 1891-98, Mary Annie Redsull 1938-44, Isabella Bolt 1959-63, Margaret Moran 1978-2021.” Megan says: “Women have always been at the heart of The Forester. And we were keen quickly to ensure they felt comfortable and welcome inside, too. Pubs can be seen as a male place, and we wanted to make sure it was an environment for everyone.
“We have walkers, dog walkers, gardening groups, a photography group, darts.” Dip & Sip, offering morning coffee and pastries to Deal sea swimming groups on the first Sunday of every month, became so popular they can barely fit the numbers in.
Gemma says: “The first Sunday we did it was a really rainy November day – freezing and miserable. I felt quite disheartened as I looked out of the window, I thought ‘surely nobody is going to turn up’. But as I left my house and looked down the road, 70 people were taking their clothes off ready to take the plunge. I felt so emotional.”
“We had 70 very wet dry robes in the pub that day, thankfully we have a roaring fire. It was amazing to look about – everyone chatting, friendships solidifying and forming, that’s what it’s all about. It’s the same for the five of us. We knew each other before. Now we’re the very best of friends.”
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