London's first pint? Pubs open their doors for 'Super Saturday' hours after customers queue up for midnight haircuts

Among the first pints poured in the country were at a handful of Wetherspoons pubs, including the Moon Under Water in Colindale, north London
Daniel O'Mahony4 July 2020

Drinkers in England were having their first taste of post-lockdown life this morning as some pubs opened their doors the first time in three months.

Among the first pints poured in the country were at a handful of J.D Wetherspoon pubs, including the Moon Under Water in Colindale, north London.

Rob Davies, a reporter for the Guardian, posted on a picture from inside the pub shortly after 8am.

“Here it is...what I believe may be the first pint served in London since March....In your face, coronavirus.”

Super Saturday - in pictures

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In a nod to the new, post-lockdown normal, Mr Davies also posted a picture of leaflet advertising the NHS’s Test and Trace service that had been placed on his table.

Another early opener was The Toll Gate, a Wetherspoon pub in Hornsey. Bar staff wearing face masks were seen waiting to serve customers from behind a perspex screen shortly after 8am.

Pubs in England were allowed to open from 6am. But while most landlords chose to stagger the start of what has been dubbed “Super Saturday”, some salons salons threw open their doors at midnight for customers desperate to get their first hair cut since the coronavirus lockdown.

In north London, Sandra Jacobs was among the first people through the door at Tusk Hair in Camden as the clock ticked over into “Super Saturday”.

Despite the abundance of masks, aprons and faceshields, Ms Jacobs said it was nice to feel “like normal” sitting in Carole Rickaby’s salon chair again.

“It’s such a relief, I can’t tell you,” she said. “My hair was everywhere. I’d been wearing hats to hide it.

“Although Carole is booked for two-and-a-half weeks, I called her and she said I could come in at midnight, which I was grateful for.

A member of staff in PPE waits to serve drinkers at the reopening The Toll Gate, a Wetherspoons pub in Hornsey,
Aaron Chown/PA Wire/PA Images

“It was nice to feel a bit like normal again.”

While relishing the chance to cut hair again, Ms Rickaby said working with the added protective gear will take some getting used to.

“It’s great to be back,” she said.

“We’re being very cautious with aprons and facemasks, but it can be a bit of a problem. I wear glasses, so wearing a mask as well made my glasses steam up whenever I tried to talk.

“I ended up just telling Sandra she can talk to me and I’ll just listen.”

Despite the late night, things are only set to get busier for Ms Rickaby with bookings flooding in over the last few days.

But she said she is delighted to be able to give people something to look forward to in these difficult times.

The easing of restrictions allows businesses to reopen to members of the public with measures in place
PA

“I’m just happy to be able to come back to work,” she said.

Elsewhere, engaged couples tied the knot for the first time in months, with two key workers getting married just moments after the restrictions lifted.

Care home worker Jennifer Wilson and security guard Louise Arnold, both 22, married at the Peace Garden Pergola in the grounds of Runcorn Town Hall, Cheshire, in what was thought to be the first wedding after the updated guidelines came into force.

Care home worker Jennifer Wilson and security guard Louise Arnold, both 22, married at the Peace Garden Pergola in the grounds of Runcorn Town Hall, Cheshire (PA)
Halton Borough Council/PA Wire

“Last week the registry office rang and asked if we wanted to be the first couple in the UK to marry after lockdown, and we just said yes,' Ms Wilson said.

Ms Arnold, who works for lorry firm Eddie Stobart, added: “With it having just been Pride month, this felt like something we couldn’t really pass up. Not just for us but for other LGBT people who haven’t been able to get together to celebrate Pride.”

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