This Is Guernsey

By Aimee Le Cocq

FORMER St Saviour’s Tavern locals are petitioning Tom Scott to save their parish pub.

‘The Ritz’ was closed in 2006 and bought by Mr Scott to turn into residential units. As part of the plans, a bar was included in the development. However, drinkers were upset to discover that the latest proposals do not now include a bar.

A group of former regulars have started a petition, which appears in today’s Guernsey Press, asking islanders to support their cause.

Corinne Connolly, 47, is behind the campaign.

‘I’ve been drinking there for about 20 years,’ she said. ‘My dad used to come here when he was a teenager as well.

‘The first time it was going to close we fought as much as we could and got another two years’ grace. But we were told there would always be a bar, no matter what. These people want their local pub.’

St Saviour’s Tavern is the only hostelry left in the parish. It was established in 1842, when it was the St Saviour’s Hotel.

It was falling into disrepair, which was partly behind the reason for its closure, because it was not profitable to carry out the refurbishments.

‘We are trying to drum up as much support as possible by putting the petition into the paper,’ said Mrs Connolly.

‘But we need to find the best person to hand it to.

‘We are hoping that there will be a pub back in the parish. To see it left like this is ridiculous.

‘We are not going to give up. At least we can say we have tried.’

Wendy Hordall was the licensee of the pub for 33 years, from 1973 until 2006.

When the pub closed, she and the regulars were shattered.

‘It was easy to see it was falling down,’ said the 69-year-old.

‘We knew that something was going to happen.

‘We would like to see a public bar where the local people can go. Even when it was falling down, several of the locals would sit around the scaffolding holding it up.

‘I still get stopped in the supermarket by people asking when we are opening.’

Her daughter, Karen Marquis, 42, said the pub was the only way that many of them got to meet up.

‘There were a few older gentlemen who used to come down. Seeing them, we knew they were OK.

‘I would like to think this campaign would help.’

Her son, Nathan, six, is also putting forward his support.

‘I miss the food the most,’ he said.

‘The chicken nuggets were my favourite.’

n The petition can be found on page 15 of The Week.HEALTHSPAN has defended an advertisement that landed the company in hot water.

The Guernsey-based pharmaceutical company’s chief executive Derek Coates spoke after the Advertising Standards Agency ruled that one of its claims was misleading.

The ASA said the advertisement’s statement that ‘more people buy their vitamins and supplements from Healthspan than any other supplier in the UK’ was not substantiated by sufficient figures.

‘We considered that the calculations and methodology used to obtain the comparative sales figures relied on estimates and averages for their competitors compared with their own real sales figures,’ said an ASA spokesman.

Chief executive Derek Coates yesterday said the claim had been based on the volume of products sold and not on cash.

‘Because High Street shop prices are often three times our prices, their cash sales may be higher while our claim was based on volume,’ he said.

He said he was also aware from market share data that Healthspan sold more tablets and capsules than any other nutritional company in the UK.

‘We know that Healthspan is the largest direct supplier of nutritional supplements to the UK, selling over three times as many capsules and tablets than any other direct brand, and that has never been in dispute,’ he said.

‘Our advertising was criticised only because shop sales are larger in cash terms. More people swallow our tablets and capsules than any other brand.’

The ASA ruled that the advertisement must not appear again in the same form.

alecocq@guernsey-press.com‘Even when it was falling down, several of the locals would sit around the scaffolding holding it up’

Former licensee Wendy Hordall

Article posted on 18th April, 2009 - 2.29pm