Landlady of famous Littlehampton pub fears coronavirus could kill her business

The landlady of one of Littlehampton’s most well-known pubs feared her establishment would be the next casualty of the coronavirus pandemic.
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Ellie Boiling has run The Dolphin pub, in Littlehampton High Street, and lived above the premises for two decades.

In recent years, she has battled antisocial behaviour and decreasing footfall in the town centre, both of which have threatened the future of the business.

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But the 52-year-old felt the coronavirus outbreak, and Government measures to slow it down, would be the straw that broke the camel’s back.

On Monday, Boris Johnson addressed the nation and advised people to work from home and avoid all non-necessary travel and social contact to slow the spread of the disease. This included avoiding pubs and bars.

She said: “I celebrated my 20th anniversary here on the 31st of January, and now I feel it is all over.

“There is nobody in my pub, no-one wants to take the chance.”

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Monday’s news came at a difficult time as it was the day of her mother’s funeral, which followed the deaths of her two beloved dogs, she said.

The watering hole dates back to 1735, with notable guests including the poet Lord Byron.

Ellie said: “I don’t know what to do. If the pub closes I don’t think it will open again without some help from the Government.”

Ellie said that she had not been paying herself as times had been hard, and was using the Littlehampton Community Fridge. She felt the Government needed to do more to protect people like her at this time: “Even though I work with Heineken, I am a little independent leaseholder and they need to help, because I will be out on the streets.”

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She added: “All I want to know when we are self-isolating is that I have a roof over my head.”

The day after Ellie’s comments, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a £330billion package to support the UK economy during the outbreak, including freezing business rates for a year for all pubs and offering grants of up to £25,000 for small businesses.

Covid-19 leads to flu-like symptoms, but can cause serious problems for the young, elderly and those with underlying health conditions.

Ellie said she fitted into the latter category, causing her extra stress. She was also concerned for the health of her two part-time members of staff who were in contact with customers.

She said: “I don’t blame anyone for not coming into my pub, but it is so heartbreaking.” She went on to say: “They want to stay safe, and so would I – I wouldn’t want to go to a busy pub right now.”