Inside Surrey's 'most welcoming' pub with low prices which locals are fighting to save

A Surrey pub described as being one of the most welcoming spots where 'everybody becomes family' faces an uncertain future.

The Garibaldi pub, in Redhill, is looking for £500,000 to buy its own freehold. The community hub has run for nearly seven years after locals rallied to stop it closing but now faces an uncertain future.

The Garibaldi is an 150-year-old pub which has had a turbulent life. In 2016 it was set to be developed before the community got together, took over the management and re-opened it. Now managed by the Friends of The Garibaldi, it aims to serve locals by keeping prices low.

Siobhainn Lewis, general manager has looked after the pub for nearly four and a half years but was a customer before that. Having seen it through the pandemic she told SurreyLive “We feel quite sad as we've gone from something that was going to be demolished seven years ago to something that’s thriving today. So we think it's worth trying to fight for it because it is such an important pub to a lot of people.

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“It's become so much to so many people, and we are so proud of the fact that we have a weird and wonderful blend, everybody seems to get on and mingle with each other and make friends. We're really, really proud of the project. It really does work.”

The pub is run by a committee which Siobhainn, 47, sees as a good thing. She said: “We’re a non-profit organisation, that means we can negotiate good things to keep our prices low so that we can be affordable for a lot of our community. For the community, we have got space, which is beautiful. We've got gardens. So we have language clubs and bingo and quizzes. I host a veterans breakfast, so there's just so much that actually happens in that pub, that makes it more like a community centre than a pub.

“It's not always about drinking, you know, there's lots of activities just to make sure that we're engaging with each other and having that experience making friends. You know, chatting, venting all the things that are really important.”

Throughout all of this she has bonded with those around her. She told SurreyLive “It’s just a magical mix for people. There are people that now coming up to seven years later that I would consider family, that I never would have met in any walk of my life outside of that pub.

“As the manager, I've watched people sitting on corners now sitting on tables all together. attending each other's weddings being godparents to their children. Watching everybody become family has been incredible. This pub always had that feeling that you were welcome. It was friendly. It just always had that feeling, you know, it's just nice to just amplify that.”

The pub primarily serves drinks but does have a pop up food cart that comes and works out of the garden on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, as well as the occasional Sunday roast. Among their events are a cockney sing a long and meat raffle.

The pub is looking to buy its freehold. Their crowdfunder reads: "Purchasing the freehold will secure our autonomy, allowing us to innovate further without the constraints of external landlords. This move will protect The Garibaldi from potential market fluctuations and ensure its survival as a cherished community resource."

For those who want to help, but can’t donate money Siobhainn, said “We will be doing many fundraising events throughout the summer and we're going to need volunteers and helpers and stuff to help us get things. We want to organise, you know, some some additional things like a dog show, maybe, and really utilise. The garden and try to make as many events where we can fundraise ourselves offering people something and experience as well, not just asking for money.”

You can read more about the pub and its crowdfunder here.