‘It’s going to be amazing’: Horsham pub gets ready to reopen after months of closure

Karen Dawson manager of the Crown in the Carfax, said the first time she can welcome customers back will be ‘amazing’.

She added: “We actually shut on Christmas Day. We cooked all the dinners on Christmas Day and then we had to close – which was really sad.

“[Reopening] is going to be amazing. We have already started booking. We’re fully booked for our first quiz night.”

Karen, 46, said the pub has been repainted ahead of reopening and she is looking forward to seeing customers once again.

She added: “We have kept in touch with our regulars by weekly phone calls and WhatsApp groups. We have lost a couple of customers which brings home [the severity of coronavirus].”

Karen said regulars often stop staff in the street to check in on them.

She added: “We do have a very strong community feel here – the heart of Horsham – it’s how most of our customers see us.

“We can’t wait to see them come back.”

Karen said the staff have now returned from furlough and she is excited to open up once more.

The manager said she will be doing training this Friday – her birthday – to make sure staff are ready for Monday.

She added: “We’re quite excited because its my birthday. We actually get to pull the first pints for my birthday. All the team are in for training.

“We have got to test the beer to make sure it’s okay.”

But Karen said pulling the perfect pint is a skill which never leaves you.

She added: “The art of cocktails you get rusty on. You never forget how to pull a pint – it’s in your heart once you start doing it.

“It’s part of your life.”