‘Empee saves pub from bulldoze-e-e-er. Read all abaht it-ah…’

If legendary newspaper seller Johnny O’Shea was alive today, this’d be the scene outside A.O.Jones on the corner of Broad Street and Angel Place… Drawing the paper from the pile folded over his left forearm I can even see him handing the Evening News and Times (‘Eeenooanti-i’) to his next customer, collecting the tuppence‘appeny or whatever it was, and pocketing it – all in one swift continuous move – in the right pocket of his white jacket. I can’t be sure, but it’s likely he’d even have folded the paper once more all in the same deft action… And It’d go like this: “Eeenooanti-i! Empee saves pu-u-u-ub from bulldoze-e-e-er. Read all abaht it-ah!”. Now as Johnny’s sales pitch went, it’s no match for his ‘Boy gets mother into trouble… eats ‘is dad’s dinner!’. Or ‘Man henpecked to death. Foul play suspected’ but in this day and age, it’s just about as likely. Except in this case it’s true. Gospel. And a heart-warming tale it is too. For ‘Empee’ read Robin Walker and for ‘pu-u-u-ub’ read The Coppertops. I called in there yesterday after being more than confused by a spate of rumours, some I suspect malicious, circulating about the pub that at one time held an unassailable reputation hereabouts for great food and great entertainment. I’d heard some time ago that Punch Taverns were putting it up for sale; that Morrison’s had their eyes on the site; that a fire on New Years Eve had all-but gutted the place and that it would never again re-open (it did – the same evening thanks to the efforts of the regulars); and that the ubiquitous (ie: bloody everywhere) University wanted to get their hands on it a) to knock it down and turn it into more flats for more students or b) to turn it into a students-only bar. Hands up fair cop guv, but I confess I even compounded the tale meself a week or two ago when I reported having been told that it was closing that very night! But, as rumours of impending demise so often have a habit of doing, they all turned out to be a mite fanciful as manager Seb O’Donnell (pictured here yesterday lunch) proved. And right glad I am too. Seems the regulars – and after yesterday I can safely attest to their being passionate about the pub as all regulars befitting the name should be – wrote to Robin Walker asking him to intervene. And not only did he do so, he emerged as a regular knight in shining armour with some smart moves even on a par with Johnny O’Shea’s. First he contacted Punch, found out their plans for the site, got the City Council on board, made all the moves to get the pub listed as a Community Asset, and then went the extra half-mile to tug on a few more strings to ensure at least a foreseeable future for the last remaining pub serving Dines Green and the surrounding area. Upshot?  Seb – who’s fulsome in the extreme in praise of our youthful MP’s energetic actions to safeguard the future of yet another threatened City pub – has now put in for a long-term lease and is in the happy position of being able to plan restoring The Coppertops’ fortunes to their former glories. Now that’s a story. Read all abaht it-ah…!