The Writers' Circle

THE WITCHWOOD
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After a couple of months of leaving the Raddle I put a advertisement in the local paper to do some relief work, just to keep my hand in before we decided what we would be our next venture. 
Receiving a phone call, the chap said 'that he required someone urgent, the manager had left without notice and they had no replacements'.  Asking where the pub was, he replied 'Ashton under Lyne'; which was only a couple of miles up the road. 
They were a small pub Company from up Yorkshire, who specialised in traditional Ale, having four pubs in Yorkshire, and this one in Lancashire. The pub had nine different Ale pumps on the bar, and whilst he never asked me if I had done real Ale, the idea of looking after so many was a challenge that I was keen to try.
I said that I would meet him at the pub the next morning; the pub was called the Game Cock. They went under the name, the Fighting Cock Pub Company.  

Marjorie and I went to the pub early and pleased we had, because on seeing it, it certainly wasn't a Raddle, it was just off the town centre, and a pub the Breweries found surplus to requirements. The Fighting Cock had taken it on a lease from Boddingtons; it was an out and out boozer that was in a pretty poor condition, positioned in a part of the old town centre that was now in deterioration a lot of the old shops looking worse for lack of trade. Marjorie immediately didn't want to take it on, and I must admit the appeal was certainly waning for me, I however felt that at least we should wait to see the guy and tell him we wasn't interested, buying a drink, there was nine pumps on the bar, but only five were operational not good sign, I was beginning to have made up my mind, when this chap came into the pub, he was a short man about 5'- 5" with sharp features  a brief case pushed under his arm, rushing up to the bar started talking to the girl behind the bar, whatever she said he swivelled round and dashed to our table. "Are you John" he asked, "yes" I replied, before I could get another word in he jumped in, "great" he said 'shall I show you round'. "Sorry it's not our cup of tea and really we don't need to take on pub' it's only a stop gap until we find our own I replied. 'please' he pleaded' just help us out for a month we will advertise for a new manager and if we get one before we can let you leave, but please we need someone immediately'. I looked at Marjorie and knew she just didn't fancy it, from out of the blue I came up with a solution, Philip our eldest son was out of work, he had helped us at the Raddle and was interested in getting into our next venture.  
'Ok' I said 'my son Philip and I would take on the pub; it would be a good grounding to see if he wanted to get into the pub life. The guy who I still didn't know his name was very pleased to agree. "Right" I said, "before you show me round what do I call you", "sorry I'm Joe the general manager I oversee all the pub managers". Taking me up to the bar were I was introduced to the bar girl, Joe told her I was to take on the job of relief manager. We then went down into the cellar it was in a shambles, barrels everywhere. "Before I attempt to start this cellar" I said "it has got to be sorted none of these out of date are on our stock. I want a stock taker in, and I will only take stock with a reasonable sell by date. 
Joe didn't seem to grasp just what a mess it was in. "Can you get the breweries to give you credits on them" he mumbled, "they have all been put on the last stock only five days ago'.
"You need new stock takers if that's the case they are well past their sell by date, and should have been off stock" I commented. 
Gosh Jims going to go bonkers" Joe said quite white around the gills, "he wont be pleased that we have so much stock wasted", Jim being the owner of the company I was to later learn, "are you sure its that bad" he continued, "well look for yourself" I said "all breweries have a sell by date", showing Joe the brew date on one of the barrels, "the maximum selling time is 10 days, the date shown tells me this beer is now probably vinegar, its over two months old".  "Listen if you don't want any hassle with Jim, I won't take it on, you can get someone else retorted". "No you seem to know enough to sort out the problems," Joe said very nervously. "Right lets get back up stairs I said and show me how we sort out our orders, tills, and banking. 
It was rather a hurried discussion, and I got the impression that Joe just wanted to get out of the pub as soon as possible. I should have guessed then, that this company was not running so well. Joe just didn't seem to have enough idea about the job. It took him less than half hour of really doing nothing, but pass on some paper work and bank book, before he was making a quick exit, saying he had to be at one of the other outlets in Yorkshire.
Left with Karen the bar staff who had been holding the fort. Thankfully, Karen was far more with it, and in all honesty was quite capable of running the pub, as I was later to find out. 
She had been with the company when they first took on the pub, and was fully conversant with the company procedures; she had really run the pub for the last manager who had the unique talent with his antics of great drinking sessions with customers; 
Personally don't approve when it's someone else's money to fund these great sessions, the customers would be obviously happy and you become the favourite person. 
Well just what had Philip and I taken on was about to be unfolded and believe me it was quite an experience.