Shave To Save - Landlord To Say Goodbye To Ponytail To Raise Cash To Keep Pub Afloat

Sunday, 21 June 2020 13:02

An Isle of Wight publican will be 'shaving' goodbye to his 20-year-old ponytail in the hopes of raising money to save his business.

Sandown man Harry Fletcher, landlord of The Woodman's Arms in Wootton, posted a video on Facebook explaining his - and his pubs - financial difficulties, brought on by the coronavirus lockdown.

When the lockdown began, pubs across the Isle of Wight were forced to close and received little to no reimbursement for wasted stock. Most had to continue to pay rent on their venues, along with associated costs and bills.

For many venues across the Island, even the glimmering light of the restrictions on the hospitality sector being lifted doesn't come close enough to a potential reprieve.

The Government's plans include reducing pub capacity - therefore reducing the number of customers who can visit an establishment - and therefore reducing its takings.

Harry hopes to raise money to keep The Woodman's Arms afloat by cutting his 20-year-old ponytail off.

In his Facebook post Harry said that despite receiving a Government grant, which helped to pay local suppliers and staff wages, he and his brother are still amassing debt:

"Myself and my brother amounting massive personal debt because we are the guarantors of the commercial rent ...but when we signed that we didn’t expect for a world pandemic and being forced to close for this period of time.

On the topic of cutting his hair, Harry explained:

"Now, some of you may say 'it's only a haircut' but let me explain what my hair does and has done for me.

"People who know me, know I have suffered from anxiety the best part of my adult life. Having my hair down in populated places helped me to cope with doing day to day things. It allowed me to hide most of my face from people or peoples line of sight.

"The mop will be coming off gives me a sense of dread and panic, but to know I did everything I could for my business to survive means I'll have no regrets even if it doesn’t work. "

Harry added:

"Now, we understand many businesses are in the same boat as us. We urge everyone if you can’t donate then please use your locals when things calm down, not just us, but any town, use any local pub; and help the pub sector get back on its feet.

"We also understand that there are so many great causes out there and people in need at this time, but I have to try anything I possibly can to save my business and if that means raising money through my hair then it shall be done!"

If you'd like to donate, you can find the GoFundMe page here.

You can also Harry's explainer video below.

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Shave To Save - Landlord To Say Goodbye To Ponytail To Raise Cash To Keep Pub Afloat

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