The Golden Anchor

My first pub job was at the Golden Anchor in the early 1980s. At that time, there was an unspoken segregation in pubs: white people went to the white pubs, and Black people went to the few Black pubs that were there at the time. The Golden Anchor was a place where you could meet your own kind – people from the Caribbean – and socialise, get contacts for jobs and things like that.

I started working weekends and then I managed the pub, before leaving it to go into banking. Fifteen years later, a friend told me that the Golden Anchor was up for sale. I had memories of what it used to be, how busy it was and how nice it looked, and I decided to take it over. I was shocked and saddened when I went back after all those years. It had been neglected and the clientele had changed. But I was very positive and full of energy to make it work. I learned as I went along. I think if I had gone full-time to university and studied business, I would have done less learning by making mistakes.

By 2019, I was at the end of my tether. I wasn’t making enough money. I was worn down by the daily struggle. It was painful, because I was struggling doing something I loved. The bills kept getting larger and I was exhausted. Being selected by Tom Kerridge and his team for the TV show Saving Britain’s Pubs helped me heal – and then Covid happened.

Covid was a lifesaver for me. I don’t say it lightly because I know so many people suffered. When they announced the lockdown, I just started cleaning my house. I went room to room getting rid of things. It was like 23 years of cleansing and unloading. I would spend every day at home with my daughter. I didn’t have to go to the pub, deal with emails or worry about the staff or how many customers would come in.