Landlords of The Woodman face a uncertain future

7:50am Saturday 1st November 2008

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THE landlords of a Eastcote pub who face bankruptcy say it is still not clear what the future holds for them.

Last week, the Hillingdon Times reported how Alan and Marian Coleshill may have to close the The Woodman.

The couple bought the lease on the Joel Street pub eight years ago and have since become popular with locals.

However, soaring rent prices and the effects of the smoking ban have put the pair into serious debt.

Another problem they hold their hands up to is breaking brewery regulations by “bypassing the pipes” for which they are facing a fine from owners Enterprise Inns.

The couple say it would be easier for them to go bankrupt rather than have to struggle to pay back Enterprise Inns and keep up with the rent.

Alan, who is 60 and suffers from heart problems, said: “We have been speaking to legal representaives who say there is a way around this and they could talk Enterpise Inns into lowering the rent.

“The only thing now is that once we made our mind up that this was it, no more, we got used to the idea.

“The traditional pub where people come to meet and drink is becoming much more rare but we have got this emotional attachment to the bar that we don’t want to let go.”

Marian, 53, told the Hillingdon Times that they do not know what is going on because they have not heard from Enterprise Inns.

She said: “The rent we are having to pay is unsustainable to what we are taking in.

“People are watching their pennies at the moment and as much as we are doing for everyone, we have lost our motivation to carry on.

“We said that enough was enough and the only way to get out of this is to go bankrupt. Because after what we did with bypassing the pipes, which we knew was wrong, the fine is going to be too much to pay back.

“But we don’t want to let go of the pub.”

Facebook pages have been set up to save The Woodman from closing.

Kym Malpass, of Whitby Road, Eastcote, is a creator of one of the groups: Save our Woodman.

The 20-year-old, said: “I have been going to the pub for over a year now.

“I just think it is a really nice place and you get a lot of people of different ages there.

“They are a great family and make it worth going there to drink, but when we found out it might be closing I knew I had to do something to raise awareness.”

Alan and Marian are still talking with legal and financial advisors about what they should do next.