A COMMUNITY pub has been forced to close its doors for the second time in just over a year, reportedly as a result of the coronavirus hangover.
Never Say Die, in Broadway, Jaywick, was reopened by now Tendring councillor Jayne Nash, alongside her team at the Jaywick Sands Revival group, last August.
The site was acquired by the long-time customer after its previous publicans struggled to stay afloat following the first national lockdown.
As well as being a watering hole it operated as a community hub which supported residents throughout the pandemic by offering a food, clothes and baby bank.
The project was backed initially by grants and handed a five-year lease before being listed as an asset of community value by Tendring Council.
Its future, however, has now been plunged into doubt after Jayne announced the pub will no longer be run by the Jaywick Sands Revival Group.
She said: “Unfortunately the Never Say Die has now closed its doors for the last time, which is due to many things I will not go into.
“People just do not have the money at the moment and they are struggling more than ever and so the pub cannot sustain itself any longer.
“People are still scared to come out, because it is still a scary time, and we have a lot of elderly and disabled people around and it is worrying for them.
“We as a group are very sad but there is nothing we could do, we tried every which way, but could not come up with a solution.”
Due to being an asset of community value, if the property was to be put up for sale the council would need to be notified straight away.
Any community groups would then be given six weeks to register their intent to bid for the asset and then a further six months to raise the money and make an offer.
Currently, however, the site is not on the market, but a large portion of the initial lease handed to the Jaywick Sands Revival Group still exists.
Jayne added: “There is a lease outstanding which we are trying to negotiate with the owners, but I would love for someone to come along and take over and reopen it.
“For now we are moving into a building across the road where we will carry on with our food, clothes and baby bank.
“I want to thank all of our loyal customers for riding this journey out with us and our brilliant team for their support and hard work.”
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