Staff at The Georgian House in Alderney will be back in April, when the popular Victoria Street pub will reopen following a winter closure. Manager Holly Fisher is pictured fourth from the right.

POPULAR Victoria Street pub The Georgian House is to close for the winter.

The business will shut up shop on Sunday 2 October and reopen in April.

Manager Holly Fisher took over the running of the pub in May. She installed a new head chef and employed several staff from her successful ski business, Fish & Pips.

‘We’ve all had a really great time and enjoyed it very much,’ said Holly. ‘The locals have been so great and we’ve made many new friends. All my staff and I would like to thank everyone for all the support we’ve received.’

Holly will work in the French Alps this winter before returning to Alderney in the spring. From 2012 she is planning to run the Georgian for 10 months a year.

Holly explained why the pub would shut during winter.

‘If we had the right management, we would carry on. However, we’re only new and we haven’t got the funds to accommodate making a loss during winter. It’s been a hard decision, but I feel very strongly about having someone here who knows the business,’ she said.

‘It would be great to have it open all year as it’s in Victoria Street – the centre of town. But closing for the winter and reopening will be exciting for us and local people. We want to get the business right.’

She said she was pleased about breathing new life into the Georgian.

‘I’m really pleased about reinvigorating the business. It was nerve-racking to start with and I felt like I had to prove myself. Everyone was used to how it was run and people anywhere don’t like change, so we had to win people round. Now I think most people are enjoying it.’

Holly said running a business in the island is difficult, but rewarding – especially when new events prove successful.

‘It’s really challenging in Alderney. I knew I was going to be working long hours, but I didn’t think it would be this many,’ she said.

‘In the beginning, we had to work out what people liked and what they didn’t. We had to consider what would work in Alderney and we worked on a try-anything-once basis. Live music has been extremely popular and we’ve also had dance classes. Our wine and dine evenings have been a success and real ale has really taken off.’

The support received from locals and tourists had been welcome, she said. Holly also revealed her plans for next year and spoke about why the Georgian had returned to its former glory.

‘Being open all day, from 10am to closing time, has helped a lot. We also have quite a lot of staff who can speak French and that has helped when French people have visited. Once they know we can communicate, they come back.

‘It’s going to be pretty much the same next year. There will be changes to the downstairs decor – it will still be cosy, but just updated a little. We’re also going to work on the front windows.’

A 1973-themed party will be held to mark the Georgian’s winter closure on Friday 30 September. The event will celebrate the year Geoff Rennard opened the establishment and include fancy dress and live music, as well as 1973 prices at certain points during the evening.