Sutton Coldfield venue delays launch due to restrictions
The manager of a new Sutton live entertainment venue has spoken of a rollercoaster of emotions after its grand opening was thwarted by delays to the Covid roadmap.
The Rhodehouse was due to open on June 25 after owner Terry Monaghan and manager Andy Thompson teamed up to to launch the venue on the corner of The Parade and Holland Street.
But Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that most current coronavirus rules will remain in place in England beyond the planned June 21 lifting, saying the move was necessary due to rising cases of the Delta variant.
And that has forced The Rhodehouse into a change of heart.
Mr Thompson said: “We’ve had to put the opening back. Even the bars and restaurants who are open aren’t doing that well at the moment and it’s a real shame.
“I have spent 28 years of my life in hospitality. I love this industry and I have no intention of coming out of it.
“But, after a year-and-a-half, you do lose some of the euphoria and you get fed up of waiting.
“I don’t want to do anything else but it’s horrible having that constant feeling of ‘come on’. You have feelings of sadness and anger, it’s a real rollercoaster of emotions and it’s so hard for everyone involved in this industry right now.
“I’m now having to cancel or reschedule acts who were performing here at the end of the month and, of course, refund people.”
On a new date for the Rhodehouse to reopen, he said: “We are looking at the back end of July now but if Boris comes back and says we still can’t have full capacity, that date will have to keep going back. Unless we can open properly, we just can’t.
"We don’t want people coming in and thinking they can’t move here or there, they have to wear a mask, or they can’t have a little dance.
"We just want them to be relaxed and feel normal – the place is being built so everywhere people look they have a smile on their face.”
The Prime Minister’s announcement means nightclubs will stay closed and capacity limits will remain in place for sports events, pubs, cinemas and theatres, while social distancing measures will continue.
The current limit on gatherings at home to six people or two households will remain in place.
The decision has been branded “catastrophic” for the hospitality industry, but ministers warned a delay was necessary after increasing infection rates led to hospital admissions creeping up.
