From landlord to mentor: Popular Mirfield pub owner passing on 47 years’ worth of experience as Old Colonial gets new look
A popular Mirfield pub owner is aiming to pass on nearly half a century’s worth of experience to an “extremely enthusiastic” former employee as he goes from landlord to mentor.
Tim Wood, who has owned the Old Colonial, on Dunbottle Lane, for 25 years along with his wife Carol, has moved aside to provide expert licensing trade guidance to Katie Armstrong who is now running the pub.
Tim, who first got involved in the industry in 1978, said:
“It is not really stepping back. I have become a mentor to guide people in the right direction. It has been a really long journey, 47 years, in the licensing trade, but I am pleased to say that I can still pass on my experience to Katie - an extremely enthusiastic and forward-thinking former worker - who is taking on the mantle to bring the Old Colonial a New Colonial look.
“I like to mentor my bar staff but this time it’s special because it’s not just bar skills that I’ve had to train - it’s the whole aspect of running a pub.
“It’s her show, it’s her business and she will attract a wider range of customer-base to keep the Old Colonial thriving for many years to come.
“She is already stamping her mark on it and I wish her the very best. I am pleased to let her have this space to be successful. I am absolutely delighted and I am convinced she will make a massive success of it.
“You want somebody who is keen, enthusiastic and someone who can give it a bit of TLC.”
Katie added: “I am really excited about it and I have had some really positive feedback from people who have already been in.
“Tim is very good and is doing a lot to help. He has got all the knowledge and all the brain people to help me get going with it.”
The Old Colonial is famous for its staunch support of local veterans and the Crown Services, and the “spirit of Remembrance will always still be alive” despite the pub in the process of change - and redecoration.
Delivering a message to his loyal customers, Tim said:
“I would like to say thank you to all the people in Mirfield that have supported the Old Colonial and I hope they all continue to do so.”
Asked if this was a first, mini-step on the way to a happy, and deserved, retirement, Tim replied:
“The licensing trade, hospitality and entertainment has been my way of life, so there is no reason why I should pack it in. There is a long way to go and I have other irons in the fire like mobile bars at shows and fetes.
“I am not going to go into the sunset hand-in-hand. That’s not the way I do things.”
The popular pub will also be representing Mirfield at Britain in Bloom, in a new category created by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), with judges expected to visit later this month.
Tim said: “Our outside gardens are already taking shape thanks to hard work from Carol and members of Katie’s family.
“It is a team effort, and we plant out our memorial each year. We are now in a stand alone category called the Golden Hop run by the Royal Horticultural Society, so we are waving the flag for Mirfield and Yorkshire.”
The pub has also introduced a board game evening every Tuesday to go alongside the weekly quiz night on a Wednesday. Abby and The Howling Whippet - a two-piece band from Batley - has also been booked for a live gig on Saturday, August 16.