A popular pub near Grantham has launched a heartfelt appeal for support as an embattled hospitality industry fights for survival amid growing coronavirus restrictions which have damaged trade.

Nick Holden and Kate Ahrens of the Geese and Fountain at Croxton Kerrial laid out the bare facts on their pub's Facebook Page earlier today, calling for people to go to pubs or buy vouchers to be used at a later date.

They rejected suggestions from supporters to create a crowdfunding page, due to the charges such operators take from online donations.

The Geese & Fountain is one of the more popular pubs in the area, a regular winner of CAMRA awards for its fine beer, and other awards for its excellent food.

The pub is also noted for its innovations and events, which this week included an excellent Cider and Sausage Festival running until tomorrow (Saturday) night [which Nub News thoroughly enjoyed on Wednesday], and it has also just launched the sale of its own-branded Geese & Fountain facemasks.

The couple said on Facebook: "After five years of pouring our hearts and our bank account into the Geese and Fountain, we are hugely proud of what it has become, so grateful to our staff (past and present) and our customers (likewise) for helping to turn a cold, empty shell of a building into a welcoming, comforting venue that brings food and drink from wonderful producers to put in front of wonderful customers. But now, we're frightened.

"The stark reality of the Covid-19 restrictions is that the Geese and Fountain is facing a crisis; indeed, all your pubs and restaurants, the fabric of your social life, are facing an existential crisis.

"We need help to survive. And the sad fact is that the government have changed tack: after supporting businesses through the lockdown earlier in the year, they are now washing their hands of us (which is ironic, obviously).

"So we have no choice but to turn to our customers and our communities to ask for help. We don't like to do that - we're almost ashamed to do it. It feels like we're failing, like we've messed up in some way and now we want someone else to rescue us, instead of digging our way out with hard work, which is the 'proper' way to do things.

"But the truth is, hospitality businesses all over the country are already doing the hard work, more hard work than ever before - and it simply isn't enough. It can't be enough. Not now.

"Like many pubs we still have no resolution to the dispute with our landlords over whether we should be paying rent while we're unable to trade profitably, but that isn't even the big issue any more.

"How bad is it? At our current, stripped-down, operating levels we need to turnover £6k per week to balance the books (down from £10k in normal times). Last four weeks: £3162, £1548, £2255, £2149. So we're losing £4,000 per WEEK. And we're in tier one. Friends and colleagues in tier two and tier three are facing even more difficult struggles, and the government support is limited, at best.

"And we're not alone. This screenshot is from last night in the 'Pub Owners Network' on facebook. I could have taken a hundred similar screenshots, all with people sharing identical stories - empty pubs, desperate people, unpaid bills and wages. We're all clinging on for a miracle.

"Pubs and publicans need you to understand two things:

1. We want to do the right things. We always did. These aren't businesses that are frivolous with money, owners driving around in flashy cars or splashing cash. These are businesses who paid insurance premiums against 'business interruption' who are now told it doesn't apply when their business gets interrupted. We want to keep everyone - our customers, our staff, our communities - safe, and we've jumped through a million hoops since March to do so. If the science says we need to close to save lives, we will do it - willingly. But we don't want to see our businesses close, our staff out of work, our communities with nowhere to go, and our families made homeless in the process.

"2. The government has abandoned us. Regardless of the things they say, the available support now is frighteningly inadequate at best. Most of us are in tier one or two, and we're not allowed to access the 'enhanced' Job Support Scheme. That means we can only get government help to pay wages if we have staff working reduced hours AND if we are able to pay them MORE than their hourly rate for the hours they do work - because employers have to match the government contribution to the cost of unworked hours as well as pay for the worked hours. But the reality is that many of us are having to keep staff at close to their regular hours, in order to carry out all the extra things that the government say we need to do to keep you safe. Takings are way, way down, but costs are up. We'd be better off closed. But that would mean staff losing their jobs, and communities losing their pubs. So we're staying open - at huge costs to our finances and our mental health. And the government is doing nothing to help. "We know that the survival of pubs is a secondary issue behind the fact that somewhere between 40,000 and 60,000 people have lost their lives to a virus which other countries have managed so, so much better than the UK. But despite all the propaganda, it isn't a choice between saving lives and saving the economy. We could do both, and right now we are doing neither. "What's the point of this post?

Simple. If you possibly can, PLEASE use your local pubs. Critically, since you are reading this post, please use the Geese and Fountain. If you don't, and if things don't improve, we will simply not survive the winter. This is not scaremongering, or 'project fear', it's just an honest assessment of how bad things are for us. But we know we're not alone. We don't know a single other pub or restaurant that isn't facing the same issues. So don't just help us survive. Help them too. Go to them for meals if you feel safe. Stay the night in B&B rooms. Buy gift vouchers as presents, or for yourself to use later. Order take away meals, get bottled and canned beer, or wine, or cider, or even soft drinks from them instead of supermarkets. They will die if you don't."

The couple continued: "But even that isn't going to be enough. So please also spread the word. Share this post. Write your own posts, about how much you value your local pubs, restaurants, theatres and music venues, and how much poorer your life would be if they closed down. Share those posts with friends, and ask them to join you in supporting local businesses. Share them with your MP, and with the media, and join our efforts to get the government to step up. An entire industry needs your help.

Thank you.

Nick and Kate

The Geese and Fountain pub and B&B

Croxton Kerrial, Leicestershire"