Adult-only Stoke-on-Trent pub 'stuck in the 90s' gets £100k makeover

A popular pub has undergone a £100,000 transformation - with new TVs, a swanky dart board, a DJ booth, and outdoor seating. The ‘new’ Forresters has been done up to a high standard, with a very upmarket and classy interior design.

The Smallthorne pub boasts a bold blue colour scheme throughout which contrasts beautifully with neutral tones, wooden features, and different lighting.

Landlord Geoff Eggar-Hopkins took over the Ford Green Road watering hole in February and wanted to spruce the place up and make it more welcoming and accommodating inside.

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Geoff said: “We’re really pleased with it. It was very tired and I don’t think it had been renovated for well over 10 years, but now it’s completely different. The previous design was 1990s style, whereas this is very up-to-date. The budget was £100,000 including the exterior, and I’ve submitted a planning application to update the signage and exterior, so hopefully that’ll be approved. The workers managed to sort the whole place out in four-and-a-half days.

“We’re doing live entertainment on Saturdays, karaoke on Fridays and Sundays, and we have ‘Showcase’ which is basically an open night on Thursdays. Anyone is welcome to have a go whether they sing, tell jokes, play instruments, whatever. We’ve got a 60-inch TV as well as other TVs, so anywhere you sit in the pub you can see the TV. We’ve also got a new laser projector with crystal clear display, and two dart boards, so we can accommodate the ladies' semis and finals.”

The Forresters is an adult-only pub, so no under-18s and dogs are allowed. It has fixed opening hours which are 11am until 11pm Sunday to Thursday, and 11am to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

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