Villagers boycott pub after landlady refuses to sell poppies

**~~Beorn~~** · 11-01-2009, 05:03 AM

Villagers are boycotting a pub after its landlady refused to allow a Poppy collection tray on her bar.
Landlady Bernice Walsh, of The Windmill, in Weald, Kent, told former RAF serviceman David Marchant that people could buy poppies 'somewhere else' when he asked her permission to leave a poppy tray in her pub.
Mr Marchant, who is a local parish councillor and school governor, said the whole village was shocked and upset at the decision.

'It has become quite a talking point in the village that she showed this lack of interest,' he said. 'A lot of people are upset.'

The 77-year-old, whose father fought in the Great War and brother was in World War Two, said the Poppy Appeal was very important to him.
'My brother, who is older than me, served through the war in the Army and my cousin was killed flying a Spitfire,' he said.
Mr Marchant did two years' National Service in the 1950s with the RAF, serving in traffic control at a flight training school in Gloucestershire and was chairman of his local Royal British Legion branch until it was disbanded.
He said every other business he approached, as well as the local school and church, accepted poppy trays.

Mr Marchant, added: 'She made it quite clear that I couldn't leave them on the bar. I had the tray in my hand to give her. That was the whole object of my visit.
'She has upset an awful lot of people before this I'm afraid in other ways.'
Villager Graham Hendry said he was appalled at Miss Walsh's decision and said he and many of his pals were boycotting the pub until the poppy tray was allowed.

He said: 'God only knows why she is being so stubborn.
'Everybody supports the poppy campaign and I can't think for one minute why she refused to have the tray on the bar.
'I'll not be drinking there until the poppy tray is on the bar and nor will a lot of my mates.'

Evelyn Rogers, Weald's poppy organiser, said there had always previously been a poppy tray at the pub.
'I have been doing this for years and years and I have never experienced anything like that in my life,' she said.
Another villager, who did not want to be named, said: 'It's a shame because people in the village want to support her, but she keeps rubbing people up the wrong way.
'We need a pub - it was closed for six months and then she came and everyone was really pleased about it, but immediately she banned dogs and it's a village pub and people lilke to take their dogs in so it's upset an awful lot of people.'

He added: 'I won't be going back until the situation is resolved.'
Miss Walsh said she has been surprised by the degree of bad feeling towards her since she took over The Windmill three months ago.
She said: 'There are a lot of people in the village who are against the pub. I would like to be part of the community, my kids go to the local school, but any offer has been refused.'
She said there were already three other charity boxes on the bar.
Speaking at her pub yesterday, landlady Bernice Walsh said that 'she didn't have room for a poppy tray' on her bar.
Miss Walsh, 36, who is originally from County Mayo in Ireland said her bar was 'too small' and that she 'already had three other charity collection tins' on the bar.

She said: 'I was unable to give the poppies a prime spot on the bar as it is narrow and already has other charity boxes.'
Miss Walsh also said that she was aware of some villagers boycotting her bar, but said that it was mainly 'old people'.
She added: 'There are customers who are boycotting the pub, but it's the older people who are doing that.'
The mother-of-two said the pub was previously closed down because it was a 'dump' and only a small group of men had drunk there and said that since she took over in July it was more popular with youngsters and women.

She said that the people boycotting her needed to stop the campaign against her, adding: 'They need to stop bad mouthing me.'
She said the reason she banned dogs from the pub when she took over the pub in the summer was that she was 'highly allergic' to both dogs and cats.

Source

I can semi-correctly guess the three other charities that are currently residing upon her bar counter: RSPCA, Oxfam and perhaps a nondescript local charity which sells knocked down chocolates.

Apparently the Poppy appeal is worth less then those charities. Go figure.

**~~Osweo~~** · 11-01-2009, 05:13 AM

What an oddball. Well, this 'old' 29 year old won't be drinking there.

But what's wrong with the RSPCA? They do a great deal of good work. I give to them and WSPA.

**~~Beorn~~** · 11-01-2009, 05:30 AM

As do I, but when faced with giving my pound coin to a dog or a man with no legs who signed his well being upon the dotted line; I know where that pound will go every single time.

**MeorgeGichaels** · 11-01-2009, 10:16 AM

Silly woman-it doesn't take much to say "leave the poppies on the counter" but it does to make up for a village load of lost customers.

Even from a purely business/professional POV this is retarded beyond measure.