Covid-19: Wolverhampton pub landlord in a bubble with a regular

Terry Cole said a lot of his regulars had struggled without seeing their friends at the pub

A pub regular who was invited to "bubble" with the landlord of his local says he owes him a "debt of gratitude".

Bob Munn's social circle disappeared overnight when the Royal Oak in Wolverhampton closed last March.

With no relatives nearby he became isolated until he bumped into landlord Terry Cole who suggested they form a support bubble.

"It's been wonderful," said Mr Munn, 70, who is now known as 'Uncle Bob' to Mr Cole's children.

The Royal Oak, in Chapel Ash, was a thriving community pub before the coronavirus pandemic, with dozens of loyal regulars enjoying music nights, quizzes and playing for its sports teams.

But when the prime minister first announced pubs must shut from 20 March 2020, it left many punters without their lifeline.

"We'd have many of our old boys coming in several times a week," said Mr Cole. "A lot of them struggled because they're on their own."

He set up a Whatsapp group for some of them to stay in touch, and also began to stream music events on the pub's Facebook page to make up for the loss of the weekly open mic night.

But months of isolation took its toll. "I live on my own and I was going stir crazy not seeing anyone," said Mr Munn, a former transport surveyor.

He's become known as 'Uncle Bob' to the rest of the family who live at the pub

When the government announced last June that families could form a support bubble with adults living alone, Mr Cole suggested they pair up.

"He kept walking past and he wasn't seeing anybody, we'd have a chat and then I asked him to be in our support bubble. He's been like an uncle to us, and the kids love having him around."

Since then Mr Munn has spent time with the Coles every week, watching their beloved Wolverhampton Wanderers together and he was also invited round for Christmas dinner.

"They even arranged for me to have a Zoom with my relatives in Rugeley and Birmingham and put it on the big screen in the pub," said Mr Munn, who plays hockey for one of the pub's teams.

Terry Cole says everything is ready to open up outside on 12 April

When the Royal Oak was able to open for a few weeks last summer, Mr Munn helped out and did stints on the door checking people were wearing masks. And with his birthday just a week after pubs reopened, they held a celebration for him.

"There are people that need this more than me, but it's so nice to have somewhere to go," he said.

"I owe them a debt of gratitude for everything they have done. They do so much for the community."

Mr Cole said the pub is ready to open its garden on 12 April if the government roadmap goes as planned.

"Hopefully after the latest announcement there is a bit of light at the end of the tunnel. We have a marquee up, lots of tables," he said.

"We are ready - and it will be great to get our old boys back in particular."