The Ardwick celebrates having Britain's cheapest pint

Blackpool Gazette

The Ardwick pub in Blackpool is celebrating keeping its £1.80 a pint price for the next season by having a huge party with cash giveaways in April

Transcript

00:00 It's an absolutely lovely environment to be in.

00:08 All the locals absolutely love it here.

00:10 We have plenty that come in each and every day.

00:14 Holidaymakers that come back year on year, they absolutely love it.

00:18 They can't wait to get back here.

00:19 You know, I say, "Oh, we'll see you next time."

00:21 Or I say, "Oh, we'll still be here.

00:23 We'll still see you."

00:24 And it's just great, a great place to be in.

00:27 And with it being so cheap as well, everyone loves it.

00:30 And still have people shocked about the price at the moment.

00:33 Every time, it's £1.80, you're sure?

00:36 Yes.

00:39 It's out of season, it's still busy.

00:42 But coming into season now, it's absolutely rammed every day.

00:46 Even during the week, we just don't expect it all the time.

00:51 Talking further deep at the bar, thinking, "Oh, here we go again."

00:54 But it's just great.

00:55 It keeps you busy, keeps you going.

00:57 It's just amazing to be in.

00:59 Never a dull moment.

01:00 Definitely not.

01:01 Never a dull moment at all.

01:04 I'd say the price of beer is a massive thing for this place.

01:08 But also, just the people that come in here, just the locals,

01:12 the holidaymakers, just the people make it as well.

01:16 They're the ones that keep us going as well.

01:18 And we have a good laugh behind the bar.

01:20 We have some good banter with them.

01:22 But definitely the price of beer is a massive thing for that as well.

01:28 Well, I actually just stayed in Blackpool for 18 years.

01:33 And then I think I was in town one day, and it was about six, seven years ago,

01:36 and somebody says, "Oh, do you fancy going into the yard and looking for a pint?"

01:40 Because I'm a bit funny where I go and that, so I went, "Yeah."

01:43 I've been in here five or six days ever since.

01:46 I just like the people, I like the pub, the pool, darts,

01:49 staff are nice, all the football, horse racing.

01:53 You know, it's just a good pub in general.

01:58 Best pub in Blackpool?

01:59 Oh, definitely. Definitely.

02:01 I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I don't go places, I do, but not for long.

02:04 I'm like, "Right, 11 o'clock, we're down to the hard work now."

02:07 But yeah, I would say it's the best pub in Blackpool, definitely.

02:10 It's the volume that we sell, because we sell that much of it,

02:14 and we do very well.

02:17 It's just the volume that we sell that we're able to do it so cheap,

02:19 because it's just constant go-go.

02:22 When I go to other places and I see four pound, five pound a pint,

02:25 I'm not paying that when I can get it for one pound 18.

02:29 I'm not sure why they put their prices up so much.

02:33 And those places are often quiet?

02:35 Yes, very quiet.

02:37 You walk in, there might be two, three people sitting there,

02:40 but as you walk in here, it's always...

02:42 People always say to us, "How can you do it at that price?"

02:45 And we just say, "It's the volume. You have to get the people in

02:48 "and make sure that volume's sold."

02:50 Which we don't have to try very hard, to be honest,

02:52 because of the price of the beer.

02:54 We don't have to try that hard to get them in.

02:56 And because it's such a great place to be in,

02:58 they automatically come here anyway.

03:01 I've been coming here since I moved to Malta.

03:04 I found it about five, six years ago.

03:07 And they're dead friendly, you know.

03:10 The atmosphere's all great.

03:12 And the beer's cheap.

03:15 Everybody talks to everybody, don't they?

03:17 And there's no trouble or anything like that.

03:21 You know, the grand.

03:24 Yeah, we laugh with the bar staff, don't we?

03:27 And that, sometimes.

03:30 And it's been crowned the cheapest pub in Britain, am I right?

03:34 It has, yes.

03:35 It gets rained everywhere.

03:37 We have T-shirts that we sell in here,

03:38 and they just want to wear them and take them back to where they live

03:41 and say, "Oh, I've been to the Hardwick.

03:43 "It's the cheapest pub in Britain."

03:46 It can be manic.

03:48 It can be, "Oh, what's going on?

03:50 "It's absolutely packed.

03:51 "You can't see through the crowds and the people."

03:55 Absolutely manic, but it's brilliant.

03:56 Everyone's just having a good time.

03:58 You can hear laughter.

03:59 We have the sports on, when there's football on.

04:01 We have loads of different people coming for that,

04:03 watching the games, the rugby, the darts.

04:06 We have it all on.

04:07 So we have all different crowds of people come in to watch them.

04:11 We have karaoke on, so we see people letting themselves go a bit,

04:15 having a bit of a laugh, having a dance.

04:18 See some great singers, some not-so-great singers.

04:23 Is this how all pubs should be?

04:24 Yes, I believe so.

04:26 It's like one big family pub.

04:28 Everyone gets on with everyone.

04:31 Everyone just has a good time.

04:33 There's never any trouble, really.

04:36 It's just one big family, really.

04:40 Well, if you even nut it up a bit more, you know what I mean?

04:43 There's no problems with that.

04:44 You know, it's good.

04:45 It's a nice pub.

04:46 I like it.

04:48 Here's where you're staying.

04:49 Yeah, this is where I'm staying.

04:51 I'm not going any further.

04:54 We've got, on the 10th of April, we have a darts competition,

04:58 which is 180.

05:01 That's to celebrate that we are keeping the £1 down to price

05:04 for this season.

05:06 That's including three different games where you can win cash

05:11 prizes, and there is one game where you can win a TV.

05:14 And that will have second prizes and third prizes for the runners-up.

05:20 It should be a great day.

05:21 You'll have your cheap beer there.

05:23 There'll be a raffle.

05:26 And we're just going to make everyone come in and just enjoy

05:30 that it's still £1 out of your pint, and we can celebrate that.

05:33 When is that?

05:34 The 10th of April.

05:36 There is more details on our Facebook page.

05:39 It's what we're known for, the cheapest pint in Britain.

05:41 It's what we are known for.

05:42 So to keep it at £1.80, even in 2024, it's brilliant.

05:50 The first competition is 180.

05:54 So the person who hits the most 180s will win £180, and the

06:00 runner-up will also get a cash prize.

06:02 The second game is ballsy.

06:05 So it's the person to hit the most balls, and there is a cash

06:08 prize for that one as well, for the first place and the second

06:11 place.

06:12 And the third game is half it.

06:14 That is two paying to enter that game, or money will go to

06:18 charity, which is the Lifeboat Charity, the R-N-L-I.

06:25 So all money will go to that charity for the third game.

06:27 But there is a TV to be won for first place on that game, and

06:31 a second and third prize place.

06:34 Great.

06:35 [BLANK_AUDIO]

Category

Transcript

Recommended