As 2021 kicks off with almost the entire country in Tier 4 lockdown, COVID-19 cases extremely high and deaths growing daily, one wonders when we will be rid of this wretched pandemic. It is now 10 months since this virus invaded the UK and it has hit many people and businesses very hard - none more so than the hospitality sector. We can only hope that the vaccines work and we can start looking forward to a much brighter future come early summer.

Many micropubs have not opened since March 2020, and those that did manage to get back open briefly in the summer when a rare opening occurred, are now back to being shut up. Fortunately, there have not been many permanent closures during this and the previous November lockdown. In fact, plans for new micropubs continue and others are looking to enhance their current offerings, as our latest news items today show.

The magazine itself is still on-hold. We are constantly reviewing the situation on a weekly basis and still hope to produce an issue in the not-too-distant future. We will continue to add news stories on the website, along with our social media sites.

Thanks again for your continued patience in these troubling times. Stay safe, healthy, social distance when out and about, and keep the faith.

Nigel Smith
Owner, Micropub Magazine
12th January 2021