The Ongoing  Story
 

As many of you may be aware, Thirst Edition changed opening times at the beginning of May on Fridays  Saturdays and Sundays. We started to open at noon which previously was 3pm. This was always an experiment to see if there was a call for earlier times. After a 3 month trial period this has proved not be financially viable.  The cost of wages alone has not been covered by the additional income. So, as from the 1st of August we will revert to the hours open prior to the trial. 

I've been asked numerous times, "why do you not open at midday over the weekends, so as from the 3rd May 2024 we will be opening on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 12.00 noon. This will continue until the end of September when we will review it to see whether it should continue through the year. 

​

2023 has seen a much higher footfall with loads of visitors especially as a result of us being awarded the Warwickshire CAMRA Pub of the year 2023. We continue raising money from the Big Quiz on Thursdays and the Pie Club on Wednesdays for local causes, and by the end of the year our total since we began is £18,000. The introduction once a month of Monday Live music is also proving to be very popular, playing to a packed house, with some top class acts including, the James Oliver band, Oliver Darling with Al Gare and Dean Beresford, Texas Tick Fever, American Blues Singer Toby Walker, The Worried Men and more. Former bass guitarist of "The Specials" Horace Panter has also featured as a guest player with James Oliver. Friday early doors is now very very busy, and looking forward to when it's warm enough to sit outside. Looking forward to this year, every Bank Holiday we hosting a taproom takeover beginning with North Cotswold Brewery over the Easter Weekend, Buxton Brewery over the early May Bank Holiday, culminating with Thornbridge Brewery over August Bank Holiday, end of May TBC. Total number of different ales to date as of March 1st 2024 is 1444.

​

June 18th 2022

We keep going from strength to strength, regular live music is back next month including after a 3 year break mainly due to Covid, the return of "The Reverend Robert" all the way from the US. You, may not know but we can no longer have any more of the "Bank Holiday" music weekends due to a single complaint to Stratford DC resulting in a threat of court action if we continued. So, instead I've put out a call to street buskers to perform outside the pub over the August Bank Holiday. (Watch this space)

The Thursday night quiz has become very popular and since inception in late 2018 we have raised over £6000.00 for various needy causes including donating £700 to the food bank last December, and this year £700 to Shipston Ladies Hockey Club. We're currently raising money for a local young amatuer golfer who's looking for support in what's the biggest game of his career in August at St. Andrews. If he does well in this it's very likely that he'll turn professional.

Since summer 2018 when started the "The Thursday Big Quiz Night" raising money for local needy causes and even though during Covid we could not have a quiz for 18 months, we have continued raising money throughout the year for various causes including this year, The Shipston Ladies Hockey club £700.00, Sponsoring a local amateur golfer playing in the biggest tournament of his young career £700.00, Shipston food bank £1035.00, The Poppy Appeal £635.00 and now we're supporting next year's Shipston Proms. We have raised well over £10,000.00 since we started. Earlier this summer we started the "The Wednesday Pie Club"  a selection of large pies including pork, hog, pork & chilli plus a Vegan option. It's costs £1 per piece with money going to the latest local needy cause which is also proving to be very popular. 

​

December 2022

Christmas is coming and throughout December we have quite a lot going on. From the 1st we will be serving or famous Mosel Weiss Gluhwein. This is a Riesling mulled wine synonymous with the river Mosel and very popular. We also serve the more traditional red mulled wine. We are having an Edwardian Night on Thursday the 22nd. This will be in the form of a Music Hall evening with a local group of Mummers kicking things off some, music, monologues, singing even a bit of poetry from Brailes poet Laureate Benjamin. Mince pies, Madeira Cake washed down with either a glass of Marsala or Madeira. Thursday 29th will be "The Big Christmas Music Quiz" all audio and the usual Christmas Eve and then the "New Years Eve" party plus other things including live music on Friday 16th with Stone Ash Blues coming down all the way from Staffordshire.

We had a really great 2021 considering we didn't re-open until 12th April. We hosted two great weekends of music on the Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Mondays over the May and August Bank Holidays. Bands included The Gulls and Texan Peacocks with Blues from Oliver Darling and Greg Brice the soulful Chessi O'Dowd and "The Legend" (Noel Nick Nickerson). We will be taking part in the Queens Platinum anniversary celebrations in some way, (yet to be decided). Back after the Covid and not to be missed we will be supporting Shipston proms, this is a 15 day festival starting on Friday the 10th June with live music at Thirst Edition on Friday 17th and Monday 20th culminating with the big music night on Saturday on 25th June in the square. For more information follow the link https://www.shipstonproms.org

​

​

Watch my Youtube video about covid on this link: https://youtu.be/2FmmWhnZO94