Another pub lost?

COULD it be a case of "time" being called for the last time on one of Worthing's landmark public houses?

A Punch Taverns lease board has appeared outside the Clifton in the last week, and one wonders whether, if no potential taker is found, the pub will follow both the nearby Lennox and Norfolk, which both fell victim to the national trend of pub closures in the last decade.

I'm sure part of the Clifton's problem is the smoking ban.

I knew the then landlords of the pub when the law changed and they estimated that probably 90 per cent of their regulars, the lifeblood of any pub, were smokers.

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So, overnight, almost everybody that used the place was essentially alienated by the change in the law.

Which possibly returns to the original argument put forward by the licensed trade at the time of the law change, that pubs should have had the choice to either allow smoking in certain areas rather than the blanket ban - a blanket ban that could yet see another Worthing pub disappear forever.

It wasn't that long ago that the Herald published a front-page story about a local drug dealer being convicted for selling heroin in Victoria Park.

Thankfully, a year or so on, I can write something positive about the place, as I have to congratulate the council on the extensive range of new play equipment it has had installed in the park.

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On Easter Monday, as I walked through the park with my family, I witnessed a large number of local families enjoying the new amenities.

I fully admit a couple of years ago, as a result of the aforementioned incident, I was reluctant to let my son, at that time 12 years old, get involved with what appeared to be a ongoing park "sub culture".

But with this new council initiative alongside an apparent increased police presence, our parks are actually getting back to what they should be, a place where children of all ages can play happily and safely.

Whilst, despite a fair bit of rain, a pleasant Easter weekend was had locally by one and all, there was one aspect from days gone by that I'm sure was much missed by the local economy.

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Time was when one of the local highlights of the Easter weekend was the legendary Worthing Hockey Festival, which attracted not only teams from the length and breadth of the country but the Continent as well.

As well as some exciting matches on the pitch away from the hockey field, a cracking time was had by all and the influx of teams provide all-important trade for all of the hotels, guest houses, pubs, clubs and restaurants.

Unfortunately, the "festival" culture has moved on, in addition to the sport itself, i.e. there simply wouldn't be enough Astro pitches in the town to stage any kind of event with a standard of pitch surface to which visiting teams are accustomed.

Thankfully, all is not totally lost as the Penguin mixed festival in May still goes ahead in a few weeks' time.

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Ian Hart's comment is published in the Herald series every Thursday

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