Wigan pub saved by the community celebrates 10 years with free family fun day

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Wigan pub saved by the community celebrates 10 years with free family fun day

Ten years after the people of Beech Hill in Wigan came together to save their local pub, The Wellfield Hotel is inviting the community back for a celebration.

The pub on Wellfield Road is hosting a free family fun day on Saturday, August 22, marking a decade since it reopened following a campaign that secured its future. The event also celebrates the pub’s 70th anniversary.

Chris Tolley, who reopened The Wellfield in 2016, said the day is about thanking the people who helped keep the pub going and showing what can be achieved when a community pulls together.

He said: “Like a lot of pubs, we’ve had our difficulties, but it’s still needed as a hub for the community now more than ever. This day is about showing what Wiganers can do when we pull together.”

Funding from Ready4Home and Brighter Borough has made it possible to keep the event free, with family activities running from 2pm until 8pm. There will be fairground rides, inflatables, games, an inflatable beach, a pop up market, food vendors and live entertainment throughout the afternoon, while local stalls will be selling everything from handmade crafts to candles. Tommy’s Food Van will also be serving food throughout the day, alongside candy floss and ice cream stalls.

Chris is also hoping the event leaves something behind for local families by creating a permanent sandpit at the pub. He’s currently appealing for donations of sleepers, sand and other materials to help make it happen.

Ready4Home, which supports people affected by homelessness, will also be handing out educational activity packs for children, with completed entries going into a draw to win a bike and accessories. Rebuild With Hope is also supporting the day with a community information stall.

Once the family fun comes to an end, the celebrations will continue into the evening with Britain’s Got Talent act Kitty Litter taking to the stage from 9pm. The performer also appeared when The Wellfield reopened 10 years ago, making the booking a fitting way to mark the anniversary.

For Chris, the event is about more than celebrating two milestones.

“We’re still here because people cared enough to fight for this place,” he said. “We just want to give something back to the community that’s supported us over the last 10 years.”