November 18, 2023 - Reading time: 2 minutes

Start simple - just a few minutes of your time.

You can be a part of something extraordinary! Start now by helping to by spread the word and you'll have made a valuable contribution; share this with at least one friend. Learn about the exciting plans we have for The New Clarence Community Pub and contribute your ideas to the conversation by completing our 5 minute survey.  We're at the feedback this is giving us, and it's already helped us to secure £10,000 worth of professional advice to help us along the way!

Building momentum.

Some of you will want to get more involved; if you have professional skills you could help us with, or if you can volunteer to take a more active part in the campaign, you can tell us in the survey. Some of you will have questions about buying shares or otherwise supporting us financially, you can cover those things too. If you have questions we'll do our best to answer them, though some will take longer than others as we are still formulating fundraising and business plans etc.

Your Privacy.

We will not share or sell your info to any third parties unless presented with a legal warrant / court order, in which case we will supply only the minimum demanded. Any emails we send to you will have an unsubscribe link, which will stop any further communication.

Help us to create Hull's first community owned and managed pub simply by firstly taking a couple of minutes to join the conversation about what it could be.

November 17, 2023 - Reading time: 3 minutes

Part Of A Community History

Preserving the legacy of a local pub is more than a nostalgic endeavor; it's about honouring our community's history and tradition. The New Clarence Community Pub was originally four seperate buildings but it has been a single building for over a century. From 1914 to 1968 the building was used as a Co-operative grocery store and from 1975 to 1983 it was a Co-operative meeting Hall.  It was in the 80s that it was converted to a pub to replace the original Clarence across the road. So, although not always a pub, the building that houses the New Clarence has served the public in one way or another for generations.

The Threat to Traditional Pubs

Over recent years many local pubs have closed, in Hull and beyond, due to changing economic circumstances. According to the Office for National Statistics, we lost 23% of our pubs between 2008 and 2018. Many of these were smaller, local pubs, closed down as the big corporate owners remodelled their estates with fewer, larger, (more profitable?) establishments. It feels at the moment as if the same is happening again. The loss of these social hubs means losing places that bring communities together, impacting community cohesion, social interaction, and the overall well-being of both the community and the individuals that make up that community. As ever some will feel the loss more than others - but why should anybody have to feel any loss?

Community Ownership - for the long term

Community ownership of The New Clarence will position it to ride out the vagaries of a sometimes volatile economy. Of the 350 or so community pubs already established in the UK, a handful have been brought back into private ownership, but none - not one - has closed. The combination of a healthier financial model and a core of customers with a genuine interest and sense of ownership of their shared space transforms a pub's chance of survival and development.

Your Chance to Contribute

You can help us to create Hull's first community owned and managed pub simply by firstly taking a couple of minutes to join the conversation about what it could be.

November 16, 2023 - Reading time: 2 minutes

At The New Clarence Community Pub, we believe that a pub is more than just a place to enjoy a pint. It's a hub where stories are shared, friendships are formed, and a sense of belonging is fostered. We aim to be a beacon of social inclusion, welcoming people from all walks of life to come together and create lasting memories.

A Welcoming Space for All

Walking through our doors, you'll find an inclusive environment that promotes the variety of events and activities we host. From family-friendly gatherings for special events to one-offs that celebrate our local talent, we offer something for everyone. Many different groups have used our shared space in the past, and we hope to build on that in the future.

Our community extends well beyond the walls of the pub. Our customer research shows a remarkably spread out community from all over the city and it's suburbs, and even beyond. Other people's research shows how community pubs encourage conversations that lead to understanding different perspectives, and building a stronger, more tightly-knit community.

Join Us in Celebrating Our Community

You can help us to create Hull's first community owned and managed pub simply by taking a couple of minutes to join the conversation about what it could be.

November 14, 2023 - Reading time: 2 minutes

At The New Clarence we set out to be a genuine community pub, with a range of activities and events that appealed to people across our vibrant city. It was more than just a place to grab a drink; it's where connections were forged, friendships blossomed, and memories were made. 

The New Clarence hosted all sorts of community activities: music events, meetings for clubs, charities,business colleagues and trade unions to name a few. We had local history talks, science talks, and comedy nights. We ran workshops for comedians and actors and provided space for groups ranging from adult fans of Lego, through Tolkien fans to poets and barber shop choirs. In the words of our customers The New Clarence was "the beating heart of a community", "a heartbeat space" and a place that "offered so much to many people".

The pub may be closed now, but there is a chance to re-open it, as a community owned and managed enterprise with that sharing philosophy at it's heart and the opportunity to build a successful community pub that works for the people of Hull.

This is the first of a series of five brief blog posts intended to help you discover how a community-owned pub fosters togetherness and amplifies the spirit of our local community, whilst re-writing the financial prospects for a pub business (especially in difficult times). 

In the second of these posts I'll talk about how community ownership empowers both the business and it's customers - and their community. In post three, I'll look at community pubs and social inclusion, before moving on in post four to the wider importance of saving local pubs. If you're still with us by post number five, (I hope you will be!), I'll look at how you can help us to make your community pub a reality (hint; it's not just about money!).

You can help us to create Hull's first community owned and managed pub simply by taking a couple of minutes to join the conversation about what it could be.

October 3, 2023 - Reading time: 2 minutes

This 30 second video shows The New Clarence's strength as a community pub - and it's past weakness. 

The video shows a simple map representing where we know our supporters are, zooming out to cover an expanding area. In doing so it shows that rather than serving a core community living in close proximity to the pub, it served a much wider community coming from all across the city and beyond.

The data was collected from our supporters survey conducted in September / October 2023. Analysis of the responses show that there are a few people represented on this map who used the pub primarily for pre-theatre drinks and food, but they are a minority. Others travelled from all points of the compass for events such as comedy nights, history talks and other events either in the function room or the main bar. Most indicated that they also appreciated our well-kept real ale offer too...

Help us to improve our research

TheNewClarence.Co.Uk

September 29, 2023 - Reading time: 3 minutes

What makes a pub a "community pub"? Well you may ask, and there may be more than one answer, but without doubt part of any answer must be what happens there. So, just for the record, here's a little list of the things that happened at The New Clarence (apart from drinking, eating and generally making merry...).

Things we did together...

Beer festivals

Gigs

Open mics

Sing-arounds

Folk nights

Rock nights

Acoustic nights

Film nights

Quiz nights

Darts matches

Birthday parties

Engagement parties

Wedding receptions

Anniversaries

Retirement parties

Wakes

Christmas parties

Local history nights

Band nights

Student music nights

Science talks

Comedy nights

Band rehearsals

Choir practices

Poetry workshops

Comedy workshops

Acting workshops

Arts group meetings

Adult fans of LEGO nights

Charity meetings (Hull DGR raised £19,000 this year)

Charity race nights

War games day

Umpires Association meetings

Fishing club meetings

Business reunions

CAMRA meetings

CAMRA socials

Forces reunions

Mental health group meetings

Ukrainian refugee support meetings

Trades union meetings

Local political party meetings

Chess club meetings

Local residents meetings (re planning applications)

Smiel Moots (Tolkien Society meetings)

Samaritans Volunteer training event

Hopefully one day soon we'll be in a position to add to that little list...

Help us make the case for The New Clarence as Hull's first ever "Community Pub"

Talk to us

TheNewClarence.Co.Uk