Take a Look Inside Willenhall Pub Following Almost £340,000 Makeover

The United Kingdom on Bloxwich Road North in Willenhall reopened on Thursday 1st May following a transformational investment of nearly £340,000. The pub is part of Proper Pubs – the awardwinning community wet-led operator division of Admiral Taverns, which operates more than 200 pubs across England, Scotland and Wales. Sarah Darcy, Operator of The United Kingdom, said:"I'm thrilled to be at the helm of The United Kingdom alongside my partner Neil, and it was fantastic to be able to welcome the community back through the doors in time for the bank holiday. The pub looks absolutely incredible following the refurbishment and so far feedback from the community has been great.” Inside, The United Kingdom has been completely transformed with brand new flooring, furniture, fixtures and fittings throughout to brighten the overall look and feel. In addition, it has also received a brand new sports area complete with two dartboards, a pool table and five flat screen television screens featuring Sky, TNT Sports and horse racing channels for customers to enjoy. Outside, The United Kingdom boasts a spacious beer garden – seating approximately 80 people – and now features a large stage for live entertainment/special events as well as one outdoor television so visitors can enjoy live sport from wherever they are in the pub. To complete The United Kingdom’s brand new look, it has also received brand new lighting and signage greet visitors. In addition, whilst The United Kingdom itself doesn’t host its own food menu, there is a permanent food truck stationed in the pub’s car park offering breakfasts, burgers, jacket potatoes and more which customers are welcome to bring into the pub to enjoy. To celebrate the reopening on Thursday 1st May, the pub hosted a special ‘music through the decades’ themed evening with a live performance from popular local artist, Caroline Crystal. This was followed by a jam packed bank holiday weekend of family friendly entertainment including live music, karaoke and a bouncy castle. The pub offers a wide range of drinks promotions, including Wine Wednesday, where customers can get £2 off a bottle, Fizz Friday, offering customers a bottle of fizz for £10, along with cocktails, bottle and shot deals throughout the week. Sarah added:“I’d like to take this opportunity thank my amazing team for all their hard work since reopening and everyone at Proper Pubs for their incredible support throughout this journey in helping me to bring the vision to life. We look forward to cementing The United Kingdom at the heart of Willenhall and can’t wait for all that’s to come!” On top of the fantastic drinks selection, Sarah will be hosting a busy schedule of entertainment throughout the week including regular cheese and wine nights, karaoke, live music, DJ nights as well as a local pool team and more. To ensure she’s catering to the needs of the community she has also implemented a ‘suggestions box’ to give residents the opportunity to put forward their ideas for regular entertainment. Sarah is also keen to support all aspects of community life by collecting food to donate to the local foodbank as well as raising money to have a lifesaving defibrillator installed. Moving forward, she hopes to fundraise for several important community charities/causes including the local primary school and youth football academy. Matthew Gurney, Operations Director for Proper Pubs, said:"It’s  a real pleasure to welcome Sarah, and of course Neil, to The United Kingdom and it’s been a joy working with them so far. The pair brings so much passion, energy and dedication to the pub so I have no doubt they will be able to create a fantastic community pillar that sits at the heart of the community. On behalf of myself and the whole Proper Pubs team, we would like to wish Sarah and her brilliant team the very best of luck for the future!” Proper Pubs is always looking for ways to support its communities through an annual schedule of events and fundraising initiatives. In March 2024, it was crowned Community Pub Operator at the Publican Awards. Most recently, the Group collected 20,500 Easter Eggs to donate to communities in need and raised nearly £100,000 in just three months for various local charities across the UK. In September 2024, Proper Pubs successfully donated enough food to local foodbanks across the UK to feed 1,300 people for a week and has also been recognised UK-wide defibrillator installation campaign which has already saved 11 lives. The United Kingdom, Bloxwich Road North, Willenhall, WV12 5PG The United Kingdom, Willenhall - Proper PubsENDS Media Enquiries:Houston  Ben Robinson/India Spencer E: admiral@houston.co.uk T: +44 (0) 204 529 0549 Notes to Editors: Admiral Taverns (“Admiral”) is the UK’s number one community pub group. Headquartered in Chester; the Group operates a national estate of c.1,420 predominantly wet-led community pubs. Admiral’s unique operational approach has earnt industry recognition with the Group winning Best Community Pub Operator at the 2024 Publican Awards, whilst also being shortlisted for Best Partnership Pub Company (501+ Sites). In 2019, 2016 and 2013, Admiral Taverns won Best Leased and Tenanted Pub Company at the Publican Awards and ranked highly commended as Best Community Pub Operator in 2017. The Group has also been consistently highly rated by licensees in the industry’s independent annual Tenant Track survey, exceeding the scores of all its national peers.

Media Enquiries:

Houston 

Ben Robinson/India Spencer E: admiral@houston.co.uk T: +44 (0) 204 529 0549

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