Former manager of town centre venue takes on “proper community pub” in Chesterfield

Rebecca Hurd, previously the general manager of the Hidden Knight, has taken on the Markham Arms on Dorset Drive, Brimington – along with her partner James.

She said: “We’ve been here eight weeks and it’s becoming a really nice community pub.

“It needs to be in the heart of the community, rather than a big commercial pub. That’s what we’re trying to bring it back to.”

Rebecca said that the venue needed some work when the pair took over, and that regulars were already volunteering their time to help them get the pub into shape.

“It needed a few bits of work doing here and there, and we’ve tried to make it a bit more homely.

“We’ve had people that come into the pub offer to help with jobs, and they’re happy to just be helping and get a pint afterwards. They’re happy for it to be a proper community pub, and it’s great to have that backing.”

A zero-tolerance approach to any anti-social behaviour has been made clear over the last eight weeks – something that Rebecca said customers were already grateful for.

“Sometimes these community pubs get a bad reputation and it sticks. Actually, it’s really not like that – it’s a cracking pub.”

“We want people to be able to come in and know that we aren’t going to be accepting any anti-social behaviour – whether that be drugs, aggression or people swearing at the top of their voices.

“It seems to be working. People are appreciating that this is what we’re doing and it’s going really well. Everyone is really friendly and people are really getting behind us.”

Rebecca said that a number of events were already taking place at the pub, with the aim of pleasing everyone from the young to the old.

“We’re booking parties left right and centre in our function room. We’ve got karaoke, comedy and quiz nights and more bands coming in. We’ve got a psychic night and some rock and roll nights coming up.

“We’re doing kids clubs as well. We’ve bought a projector so we can show them films, and people have really been appreciative of that, because there’s not a lot around here for kids to do.

“We’re also dog-friendly, so there’s a big jar of dog treats, bowls and some beds that they can sit in.”

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The team at the pub are also fundraising for a defibrillator, and Rebecca again praised local residents for their generous support.

“We’re trying to raise money for a defibrillator on the front of the pub, and in just eight weeks, we’re already two thirds of the way there.

“There’s two within running distance, but if you were to run there and back it would take about 20 minutes.