Landlord Patrick Hughes says fewer people are going to the pub
Former pub landlord Patrick Hughes is blunt when explaining why he has called time on his tenure behind the bar.
"I thought there was a gap in the market but there was no market for the gap", he said.
The 66-year-old took over The Royal Mail Cart pub in Spalding, in August 2025, hoping to attract customers with live music nights and "a sense of community".
Just over a year on he is packing boxes and looking around the empty rooms after he quit his tenancy with the pub's owner, Stonegate Group.