Allotment Bars

[pukka.tukka]

Hi

I was just wondering how many Allotments had a bar?

I am sorry for all the questions Our chairman wants a bar and I could think of no where better to find out some info.

How do you go about setting up a bar at a Lotty?

How does it affect your insurance?

Do local businesses object?

Do you leave alcohol on site all the time?

Do you sell food aswell?

I guess it would be for members only.

Thanks for reading as I know I am turning into a pain.

[jacob marley]

I would have thought that security and licencing would have all sorts of complications .
It might encourage the nere do wells not a good idea unless you have a drink problem is it closer for your chairman to stagger home from the allotment's than the pub and if well oiled might forget to lock up when leaving the idea wants kicking in to touch jacob marley

[vicky]

Not quite the same but...our school PTA runs a Pimms Tent for 'events' (school play, camping weekend etc). As they have no license they ask for a set donation per drink and the two ladies that always run it never leave booze around and make sure things are tidy after. Everyone is trusted to behave and there have never been any incidents! Could you have Friday night is bar night with donations to the lottie?

[Snadger]

We have our resident plonkies! Six blokes have a couple of plots which they keep very tidy You can hear the rattle of the domino board all day long(appaently they wore out six boards last year!)and see them going along with there carrier bags full of Foster's. They are no bother and act as night watchmen these dark evenings!
Every so often the scrapman comes along and picks up the mountain of bin bags full of aluminium cans!

[Two_Sheds]

Why do you want a bar? to raise money? You need a license then. Have a look here, it's a starter : Personal Licence application forms

If you just want a few drinks now and again, keep some in your sheds, all of you, and have a get together every Friday or whatever.

[di]

My thoughts are that if you want it for purely social reasons then a "bring a bottle" would suffice.
If it were for raising funds,then,not sure if the law has changed in 20 yrs(shoot!!!really that long!?),I helped a mate out that was having a garden party & worked the bar...as he had no license we "sold" little snacks & "gave away" the alcohol!!(TBH not even certain t'was above the law even back then???may be worth looking into it?)
Personally though,I would think that keeping an actual stocked up bar at the lottie would only serve as a sitting target for thefts/vandals.
Great idea for get togethers though.

[Hans Mum]

we had a bbq at the site last weekend, everyone just bought a bottle or cans, we provided soft drinks for the kids/non-drinkers worked out ok

[jackie j]

Any event needs a drinks licence if its going to be sold unless like some have said you buy a ticket. my bil used to be asked to run a bar for events and he brought the drinks set up the bar and took away any not sold but he had to have a licence for that.

[Joe]

Why shouldn't alottments have bars like some bowling clubs do? Many of them are lockups. You might have to have a membership fee though. Even if you only had the bar open a day or two a week might be beneficial. Don't go for too great a range of draught product. Start with just a lager. Look in the yellow pages for beer supplier and see what they can do for you.

[Snadger]

Strikes me that if you have somewhere that stores alcoholic drink you will surely become a target for vandalism and theft?

[Joe]

Strikes me that if you have somewhere that stores alcoholic drink you will surely become a target for vandalism and theft?

Of course you need security, but other hobbies ie sports clubs quite often have bars so why not allotments? Mind you allotment holders leave their veg out for anyone to pinch.

[Kayt]

When I was chair of PTFA one of our parents was a publican and somehow he used his licence for any events. Otherwise you would have to apply for a licence and meet certain fire, security etc measures.

[Snadger]

Of course you need security, but other hobbies ie sports clubs quite often have bars so why not allotments? Mind you allotment holders leave their veg out for anyone to pinch.

Because it would be financed by them,it's really the allotment holders who would need to be given a costed breakdown of how much money would be made, startup costs ie Pavilion,security,bar licence, electric, rates,water,opening hours,staffing,car parking, clientel,+ problems encountered with local opposition,tenancy agreements,insurance etc etc.

Me personally...........I go to the allotment for peace and quiet,keeping fit and active, growing my own produce and a host of other reasons.........but not to socialise in a bar!

Still each to there own I suppose! If that's what the plotholders want........go for it!

[NOG]

Not quite the same but...our school PTA runs a Pimms Tent for 'events' (school play, camping weekend etc). As they have no license they ask for a set donation per drink and the two ladies that always run it never leave booze around and make sure things are tidy after. Everyone is trusted to behave and there have never been any incidents! Could you have Friday night is bar night with donations to the lottie?

Then you could have a saturday outing to visit the Committee in Prison saturday. This is totally Illegal.

[NOG]

we have a private members licance. So ONLY members of the society can buy drinks. but the hall that has the licance in now Rated for Business rates at £2000 per year. Then there is the insurance and VAT. We then had someone drive thrught the wall so we ahve had to Fence the whole buildign ins steel Railings. Then there is the Risk Assessments, Fire exits and perocedures.

We are now discussing getting rid of the Licance and just having it as a Hall with soft drinks.