0:00:02 > 0:00:06The Welsh pub - that traditional haven from domestic conflict,
0:00:06 > 0:00:09that oasis of light in the gloom, is under a three pronged attack
0:00:09 > 0:00:15from the smoking ban, the recession and cheap supermarket booze.
0:00:15 > 0:00:20This series is about the die-hard battle to keep these pubs alive.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25Over the past year, we've followed some of those on the front line.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28From city centre taverns
0:00:28 > 0:00:30to country village inns.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33The triumphs...
0:00:33 > 0:00:34and the mishaps.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36Argh!
0:00:36 > 0:00:38SHE GIGGLES
0:00:38 > 0:00:39The jubilation...
0:00:39 > 0:00:41THEY CHEER
0:00:41 > 0:00:43..and the tears.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45Everywhere there are pubs boarded up
0:00:45 > 0:00:48and you just hope yours is not going to be the next one.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51All of them with the same goal -
0:00:51 > 0:00:55to keep their locals from calling time.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01In this episode, landlady Lorraine continues
0:01:01 > 0:01:02the fight to save her pub.
0:01:02 > 0:01:08I'd like to be able to say, "Oh, great, the pub's come back to life."
0:01:08 > 0:01:12In Porth, pub renovator Tina hits some unexpected hurdles.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16Won't just take it or you can't have a license when other places got licenses. I won't accept that.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20And one big brewery risks losing it's regulars when it revamps
0:01:20 > 0:01:22a traditional old local.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25If they change it too much then I'll just go somewhere else.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30Returning home to the valleys after a successful career in Spain,
0:01:30 > 0:01:34Tina Payne bought The Gateway for a mere £40,000,
0:01:34 > 0:01:39but her bargain boozer quickly turned into a financial black hole.
0:01:39 > 0:01:44And after nine months of DIY hell, Tina found herself £100,000
0:01:44 > 0:01:48our of pocket. She was forced to vamos back to her bar in Spain
0:01:48 > 0:01:51to raise more funds to finish the project.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55It's now August and Tina's back with a renewed determination
0:01:55 > 0:01:57and a new deadline.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01I've come back from Spain because the license is due in September
0:02:01 > 0:02:04and this has got to be finished, otherwise it'll be 2012
0:02:04 > 0:02:05before this place will open.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08So I've come back to rush this through now.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11I didn't want to go back to Spain, I've done that,
0:02:11 > 0:02:15been there, got the t-shirt. This place is another thing.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17This is why I'm back.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20Anyway, I'm supposed to be painting, aren't I?
0:02:20 > 0:02:22To help her reach her deadline, she's recruited
0:02:22 > 0:02:28close friend Cherin. Cherin will also manage the pub once it's open.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30I didn't think there'd be as much involved
0:02:30 > 0:02:32as there has been, to be honest.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36Inspired by their partnership, their plans have become ambitious.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39They've spotted a gap in the local market for a food venue.
0:02:39 > 0:02:44So turning the upstairs into a carvery is now on the menu.
0:02:44 > 0:02:45This is a carvery unit.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48We did quite a bit of research on the other pubs
0:02:48 > 0:02:51and what they were selling and who was doing food and who wasn't.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54There isn't another carvery at all in this area.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56I'm really getting quite excited now
0:02:56 > 0:02:59that I can see things are coming into place.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03A cornucopia of hidden problems have caused Tina more time and hard cash
0:03:03 > 0:03:08than she'd anticipated. But today's a milestone as the beer pumps
0:03:08 > 0:03:09are finally being fitted.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11Is that steamer OK?
0:03:11 > 0:03:13Hey, they're lovely pumps, aren't they?
0:03:13 > 0:03:17- Now you can see it's coming on. Now you can see a future here.- Yeah.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20That first pint's going to taste really nice.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23This is the best time and with the flowing of the beer
0:03:23 > 0:03:25will be the flowing of the money.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36In Cardiff, Brains brewery owns a pub n almost every street corner.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38Pubs like The Crwys in Cathays.
0:03:38 > 0:03:43This classic city boozer has been pulling pints since 1891
0:03:43 > 0:03:45and still retains many traditional features,
0:03:45 > 0:03:49including a skittle alley, but times are changing.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53The recession is taking it's toll on the pub's beer sales
0:03:53 > 0:03:57and in response, the brewery are taking The Crwys back to the drawing board.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59Rumours of a radical revamp to their local
0:03:59 > 0:04:01are making some regulars nervous.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04I've been coming in all my life, I think. Just about.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08I don't know what exactly the plans are,
0:04:08 > 0:04:11but if they change it too much, I'll just go somewhere else.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14I just hope they don't turn it into another student pub.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17We wouldn't want to see it turned into something completely new
0:04:17 > 0:04:19- just like everything else. - Yeah, being sensitive
0:04:19 > 0:04:23to what it is now, you know, and making sure that
0:04:23 > 0:04:27the people who have been coming here for 20 years still enjoy it.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31Next day, the work begins.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35The imbibers are out and the builders are in.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38The blueprints map out a dramatic revamp.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40All of the traditional old fittings are going
0:04:40 > 0:04:42and the pub will be gutted from top to toe.
0:04:42 > 0:04:47The brewery's retail director, Philip Lay, is clear on the pub's new direction.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51One of the biggest changes in the market is food.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54Food is going to be a much bigger part of the offer,
0:04:54 > 0:04:56but that's what's giving growth in the industry.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59You have to really be serious about food nowadays
0:04:59 > 0:05:05and get people using the business for a different purpose to the one they've traditionally used it for.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07We expect it to double its trade when we reopen.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11With food being central to the makeover,
0:05:11 > 0:05:13it will mean bye-bye skittle alley and hello to
0:05:13 > 0:05:16state of the art industrial kitchen unit.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20It remains to be seen what the regulars will make of it.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24Across Cardiff in the city centre, the brewery runs another pub -
0:05:24 > 0:05:28The Old Arcade. With a proud rugby tradition, The Old Arcade
0:05:28 > 0:05:33is no more than a James Hook conversion away from the millennium stadium.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36Its landlord is Gary Corp.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38I've been doing this for coming up nine years.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42Nothing changes when you open a pub. It's the same routine every day
0:05:42 > 0:05:45except your days off and generally on my days off
0:05:45 > 0:05:48I'll sometimes come down and double check everything.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51That's what maintains the standards of the pub.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55For Gary, it's all about customer service and his loyal regulars.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59That's one of our special regulars.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02He's a lovely gentlemen. He's a little bit late today.
0:06:02 > 0:06:03He normally comes in about 11.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06He'll come in and we'll make him a cup of tea or coffee.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09We've taken him under our wing.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12But Gary's not going to be at The Old Arcade for much longer.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16Along with the major revamp, there's going to be a changing of the guard
0:06:16 > 0:06:18at The Crwys and it's our Gary
0:06:18 > 0:06:21who's been cherry picked to take up the challenge.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25It's a big wrench, a move from a pub like The Old Arcade.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29It's just about the pub, it's about the people you've met along the way.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32And the rapport with some of the customers, they're more like family.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36But Gary's not daunted by the task ahead.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39They challenges are there, they are quite big,
0:06:39 > 0:06:41but I'm sure, if we put the effort in,
0:06:41 > 0:06:44I'm sure we can make a successful pub.
0:06:45 > 0:06:50Caerleon, a village that has already lost half of its pubs.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54Landlady Lorraine has been running her beloved White Hart on her own
0:06:54 > 0:06:57since her husband passed away six years ago.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00A recent downturn in trade forced her to lay off her cook
0:07:00 > 0:07:03and stop serving food. Now she's left fearing
0:07:03 > 0:07:04for her future as a publican.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08Everywhere you look, there's pubs boarded up. Doesn't matter where you go
0:07:08 > 0:07:11and you just hope yours won't be the next one.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16Lorraine has a rare night off and catches up with two friends
0:07:16 > 0:07:20who are also landlords. Lee and Lee run The Bell in Caerleon,
0:07:20 > 0:07:22a gastro pub with a very different outlook
0:07:22 > 0:07:25to Lorraine's traditional boozer.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28Food is the focus here and, for them, turnover as increased.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31But they can still identify with Lorraine's struggle.
0:07:31 > 0:07:36- Yours is almost exclusively wet led...- Yeah.
0:07:36 > 0:07:41..ours is food driven. Our sales growth this year is about 27% up
0:07:41 > 0:07:43on the same period last year, year to date.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45Not many people doing that.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47- It takes a lot of hard work. - You know yourselves
0:07:47 > 0:07:51how much you put in between two of you.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54You imagine one person trying to do it all.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57We put a lot of blood sweat and tears into it.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01We've grown our business, but in terms of the profitability,
0:08:01 > 0:08:03- it's...it's just not...- Not there.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06The rewards for the effort that you put in just isn't there.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09I just can't see a way for it to get better.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12It's just bee going down for so long now
0:08:12 > 0:08:17- that the days of the British drinking pub are gone.- Yeah.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19If Lorraine is right, then she is boxed in.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21Having already closed her kitchen
0:08:21 > 0:08:24she has neither the money nor major brewery backing
0:08:24 > 0:08:27to reinvent The White Hart as a food led pub.
0:08:27 > 0:08:31She has almost nowhere to turn.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35At the Old Arcade in Cardiff, Gary and his wife Sue
0:08:35 > 0:08:38are getting ready to leave. It's their last chance to say goodbye
0:08:38 > 0:08:41so they're throwing a party for their staff and regulars.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45This is Nadia, the singer, so we're just giving the girls a hand.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48And Nicola. Say "cheese", Nicola.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51He's always put on some nice entertainment over the years
0:08:51 > 0:08:54so we're going to do some entertainment for him, to say goodbye.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57We'll sing him a song in a minute.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01It's a rare opportunity for Gary to unwind on the other side of the bar
0:09:01 > 0:09:05and savour one last pint at The Old Arcade.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08We wanted to make sure that our friends, that we appreciated
0:09:08 > 0:09:10the fact that they use the pub and shown it loyalty
0:09:10 > 0:09:13and just run over some old good times we've had in the pub.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17It's quite a tough night. It's going to be quite emotional.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22# I would seek the stars out of the sky for you... #
0:09:22 > 0:09:27For Gary's wife, Sue, the reality of the move is also starting to sink in.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30I'm starting to get upset now cos we've seen people come in
0:09:30 > 0:09:32that we haven't seen for a while.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34But it's going to be a good move.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36I'm not going to allow myself to get upset too much.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39It's a fresh start for us. Next week, hopefully,
0:09:39 > 0:09:41we can throw ourselves into The Crwys
0:09:41 > 0:09:44and start getting that up and running then.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48But Sue's timeframe is optimistic at best.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51At The Crwys, the ongoing work had revealed hidden problems
0:09:51 > 0:09:54that are causing mounting delays.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56The building itself presents challenges,
0:09:56 > 0:09:59some which you only find out when you take things down,
0:09:59 > 0:10:04like the asbestos issues you get, it adds cost and delays.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07But to the brewery, the set backs and added costs
0:10:07 > 0:10:08are risks worth taking.
0:10:08 > 0:10:13If you don't respond with the right level of investment into these businesses, ultimately
0:10:13 > 0:10:16you end up with another pub closed in the UK which isn't
0:10:16 > 0:10:20what any of us want. Not every pub can tackle the problems they've got
0:10:20 > 0:10:24the way that we can cos you're talking about significant investments
0:10:24 > 0:10:27to make the sort of changes that we're trying to make.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29This is hundreds of thousands of pounds.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32If you're running your business by yourself as a free trader,
0:10:32 > 0:10:36it's a real challenge and they do find it very difficult.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39That's why a lot of them are folding and going under.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43All is not lost for those free traders
0:10:43 > 0:10:46who don't have the financial backing of a big brewery, however.
0:10:46 > 0:10:51Independent pub consultants like Dai Nicholas offer advice to struggling pubs
0:10:51 > 0:10:56and like the brewers, Dai believes food is often the answer.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58Pubs just relying on drink sales
0:10:58 > 0:11:02are twice as likely to close over the next year than
0:11:02 > 0:11:06pubs that are also using food as part of their income stream as well.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08It's those pubs that have other reasons
0:11:08 > 0:11:12to come there that stand a better chance of surviving through this recession.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16And survival doesn't have to mean big money makeovers.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20At the Bird In Hand in near Llanelli, Dai has helped turn
0:11:20 > 0:11:24a struggling traditional drinking pub into a profitable business.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27With Dai's help and advice, landlord Darryn reopened
0:11:27 > 0:11:31the pub's kitchen and income has slowly risen.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35I've been here about three month. Implemented food here,
0:11:35 > 0:11:37place nice and clean. The plan is to work on that
0:11:37 > 0:11:41and build on the food and the beer to get people interested again.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44Cos three months ago the pub was only open two days a week.
0:11:44 > 0:11:50By offering affordable food in a friendly environment, Darryn's turned the pub around.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54For Dai, this recipe to success is simple.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56He's gone in there, he's planned ahead,
0:11:56 > 0:12:01he's got the product right and he's decided to really give it a go.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03He started off with a big rise in sales for the launch,
0:12:03 > 0:12:07it dipped slightly after and now he's pushing hard to bring it up
0:12:07 > 0:12:09and sales are slowly rising against the trend.
0:12:14 > 0:12:19Dai's next visit is to a landlady who has made the opposite choice.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22She's recently closed her kitchen down.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25Is there any advice Dai can offer when The White Hart's landlady,
0:12:25 > 0:12:30Lorraine, likes her traditional boozer just the way it is?
0:12:30 > 0:12:32- How are you? - Hello. Pleased to meet you.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36The benefit I've seen in the past with some pubs is, erm,
0:12:36 > 0:12:39they have had food and it's been an opportunity for them
0:12:39 > 0:12:41to get extra income in, you know.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44Because of it being a drinking pub, I only ever did lunch.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48It's a small environment. If you've got a load of drinkers in
0:12:48 > 0:12:51and you're trying to serve meals around people
0:12:51 > 0:12:54stood shoulder to shoulder they're not going to be very happy.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57If people are going out to dine, they're going out to dine.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00If they're going out to drink, they're going out to drink.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04With Lorraine sticking firmly to the traditionalist's stance
0:13:04 > 0:13:06that booze and food don't mix,
0:13:06 > 0:13:09Dai's struggling for a positive alternative.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12In terms of marketing, to get new clients in
0:13:12 > 0:13:16or new customers into the pub, your options are quite limited, I suppose.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18- Yes.- Because your costs are tight,
0:13:18 > 0:13:21your overheads remain more or less the same.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24Yes, your rent and rates are still the same,
0:13:24 > 0:13:27your gas and electric's gone up. Gas won't be quite so bad
0:13:27 > 0:13:29- now I've shut the kitchen, hopefully.- Right, yeah.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33It'll probably balance out the same now we're not using the kitchen.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37So to go out there and start to spend cash on marketing the premises
0:13:37 > 0:13:39is just beyond your means currently?
0:13:39 > 0:13:42At the end of the month, there's never any money left over.
0:13:42 > 0:13:47If you get a bad month or one bad night on a weekend,
0:13:47 > 0:13:49that can wipe out everything.
0:13:49 > 0:13:53After a good look around and further discussion with Lorraine,
0:13:53 > 0:13:56Dai has come to a very clear conclusion
0:13:56 > 0:13:57about the pub's prospects.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59To turn this pub around
0:13:59 > 0:14:01would be very, very difficult and very time-consuming
0:14:01 > 0:14:04and very costly, so I would say, currently as it is now,
0:14:04 > 0:14:08as a traditional boozer, without somebody in with a food background,
0:14:08 > 0:14:11it would make the survival of this business quite bleak.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15Without the money or the will to strike out in a bold new direction,
0:14:15 > 0:14:17the only question for Lorraine
0:14:17 > 0:14:21is how long she can survive this traditional way.
0:14:23 > 0:14:28It's mid-September and back up the Rhondda,
0:14:28 > 0:14:31the never-ending saga that is the Gateway
0:14:31 > 0:14:33has hit yet another hitch.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35And this time, it's a biggie.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38Tina's applied to the council for her pub licence
0:14:38 > 0:14:43and a number of local residents are putting up stiff opposition.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47There was about six or seven complaints.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50It's not really going to be good for business if you've got
0:14:50 > 0:14:53close neighbours who are actually against what you're doing.
0:14:53 > 0:14:57The locals' worries are based on the pub's disreputable past,
0:14:57 > 0:15:01a colourful time that handyman Rich readily recalls.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04There was a lot of trouble around here, fighting after hours
0:15:04 > 0:15:07and what have you, so the police decided enough was enough,
0:15:07 > 0:15:09just shut them all down.
0:15:09 > 0:15:14And getting the licence will take more than just satisfying the locals.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17You've got the sound people for the audibility and soundchecks,
0:15:17 > 0:15:19environmental health, the fire service,
0:15:19 > 0:15:22to make sure, obviously, that you're up to the standards.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25They can turn round after doing all this work here and say,
0:15:25 > 0:15:27"Actually, no."
0:15:27 > 0:15:30So it is a really big risk.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33Tina has already sunk tens of thousands of pounds
0:15:33 > 0:15:36into this project and the risk is all with her.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40But she's confident she can win the locals round.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44People are a bit nervous about what the pub is going to entail.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48But I think if you run something properly and you don't let idiots
0:15:48 > 0:15:51and underage people in, I think it'll be OK.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55Especially because it's a food venue, I think the licence is going to go through.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57But, if it doesn't, if I don't get a licence,
0:15:57 > 0:16:01I won't just take it, when other places have got licences.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04No, I won't accept that. I will never accept a no.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08I don't like thinking about that bit, mind, it'll cost me more money.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12But with Tina being Tina, nothing is ever silky smooth.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15A sudden call from a workman sends her into a frenzy.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18I'm coming down straight away.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20Sorry, babe. Sorry. I'll be there now.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23- I'm going to have to come back. - What happened, Tina?
0:16:23 > 0:16:27I've locked him in the barn. He's got to pick up his kids.
0:16:27 > 0:16:28I'll be back now.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31He's got to pick up his kids!
0:16:33 > 0:16:35I won't be long.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42In Cardiff, Gary and Sue are checking on progress at The Crwys.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45There's a grand opening due in six days time
0:16:45 > 0:16:46but things are far from finished,
0:16:46 > 0:16:49particularly their flagship kitchen.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53This is it, all singing, and dancing kitchen.
0:16:55 > 0:16:56We are a bit off that today.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00There's a long list of missing essentials.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03We're merry chefs. We've got our friers, the ovens.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06The service areas, still some more of them,
0:17:06 > 0:17:08kitchen sinks, dry store racking.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12Nothing's set up at the moment, just bringing it in very slowly.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16We're hoping to be doing 4,000 to 5,000 a week on food
0:17:16 > 0:17:20which on the type of menu we're going to be doing is a lot of food.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29Still a lot to do, finishing off. They'll be working 24 hours soon.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31HE LAUGHS
0:17:31 > 0:17:34That's the trouble when you're setting up, all you do is pick holes.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38With an opening imminent and big brewery bucks riding on it
0:17:38 > 0:17:41being a success, the man at the top seems remarkably chilled.
0:17:41 > 0:17:47You've just really got to calm down and just take your time
0:17:47 > 0:17:49and if something needs to be put off till tomorrow,
0:17:49 > 0:17:51unfortunately, it has to be put off.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54At the end of the day, you just end up making mistakes.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57I'm sure it'll happen. I'll probably lose about two stone.
0:17:57 > 0:17:58That wouldn't be a bad thing.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02As the boys from Tex Services keep telling me.
0:18:03 > 0:18:08It's not just at The Crwys where food is at the centre of a rebrand.
0:18:08 > 0:18:13The brewery is so convinced food equals money, they've opened a cookery school at their HQ.
0:18:13 > 0:18:18Sue and The Crwys's catering crew are the latest students to be put through their paces.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21Cheesy bread.
0:18:21 > 0:18:22- Lamb cawl, is it?- Yes.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24Apple sauce.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27- How do you do them? Grill them? - No, you've got to fry them.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31It's just so we can taste the food, be able to explain it to customers
0:18:31 > 0:18:35and really just to know how to do it.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39There's an eclectic and exotic menu to get to grips with,
0:18:39 > 0:18:43but it's not just nachos and naan bread preoccupying them.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47It's nice to start, it just feels like it's taking forever
0:18:47 > 0:18:49just to get there, really.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51Gary's been up there every single day.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54I do just want to get in there now and get settled.
0:18:54 > 0:18:59But it's still pretty nerve wracking, especially for me, anyway.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02Back in Porth, Tina and Cherin wilfully struggle on,
0:19:02 > 0:19:06but the still unresolved issue of the pub licence hangs in the air
0:19:06 > 0:19:09like a mocking spectre.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11People think I'm mad cos I've spent so much money
0:19:11 > 0:19:14and I still don't know if I can get the licence.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18It's been a massive gamble, spending so much time doing it, sweat and tears.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20If I don't have the licence, I don't know what I'm going to do
0:19:20 > 0:19:24cos I've got rid of my other income in Spain so I can't go back there.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28Thinking about it, it does make me think, "Oh my God, if I don't..."
0:19:28 > 0:19:29It's a lot of money to spend.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33It's a pub with no beer and a pub with no licence for music.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35I'm stumped really, aren't I?
0:19:35 > 0:19:38Rather than back down, Tina and Cherin are going all out
0:19:38 > 0:19:42to satisfy the council's pub licensing criteria.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46A few more grand is being thrown into a CCTV system.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49One obviously to cover this area cos there was a lot of trouble
0:19:49 > 0:19:52in the past with fighting, so that's particularly important.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56Noise control is another strict licensing condition.
0:19:56 > 0:20:01The council require an independent assessment that The Gateway's soundproofing is foolproof.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04We're going to have to get a band for ten minutes
0:20:04 > 0:20:07for her to stand outside with the monitor and go, "Uh-huh."
0:20:07 > 0:20:09That's going to cost about 400 quid.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12You don't get your licence without it.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15- When's the band got to be here? - It's got to be sometime next week.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18Even if they persuade the council everything's ticketyboo,
0:20:18 > 0:20:23and licence worthy, they've still got to convince the neighbours.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27Most people are of the opinion that it's going to be run the same way it was before.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31To try to prove to them it's going to be run properly is hard work.
0:20:31 > 0:20:37There've tunnel vision. They're not going to give anybody a chance.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40Over the next few days, work on The Gateway pushes on
0:20:40 > 0:20:45in anticipation of satisfying all of the council's licensing criteria.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47As ever though, there's a hitch.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51At such short notice, Cherin's unable to find a group
0:20:51 > 0:20:55or a sound engineer to come out and put the soundproofing to the test.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58In a land where every other person is in a band,
0:20:58 > 0:21:01this is a sorry state of affairs.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03So that I could go forward with the council,
0:21:03 > 0:21:05is there anyone you could recommend
0:21:05 > 0:21:08that could possibly do it today? No?
0:21:08 > 0:21:13Is there any possibility or hope on this earth that a chappie
0:21:13 > 0:21:16or lady could come out today to do that?
0:21:16 > 0:21:19No? No way? Right, OK.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21That's just shot that idea down in flames.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24Whilst Cherin continues bashing for bands,
0:21:24 > 0:21:29Tina's trying to stay in the neighbours' good books by sprucing up the backyard.
0:21:29 > 0:21:30She's more than a little offended
0:21:30 > 0:21:33that they think she plans on running a doss-house.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36I'm not going to run a drug den or anything stupid.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40I can't understand why people would think that one would spend
0:21:40 > 0:21:44all this money on having a pub that would serve these people.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47They haven't got no money anyway. They wouldn't be in my place.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51I'm definitely a fighter. I work better if things go wrong.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55In the battle to find a band, a sound engineer, anyone,
0:21:55 > 0:21:57Cherin's getting desperate.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00Have I got any chance whatsoever of getting you
0:22:00 > 0:22:04anywhere near this pub in the foreseeable very near future?
0:22:04 > 0:22:08I'll stick a really pretty, pretty, pretty please on the end of it
0:22:08 > 0:22:09cos I am a desperate woman.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11Cheers, thanks. Bye.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14He liked my cheek so hopefully...
0:22:14 > 0:22:17Well, I said ASAP.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21So at long last, Cherin can call Tina with some good news.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23TELEPHONE RINGS
0:22:23 > 0:22:25Hi.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28Yee-hah.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31So we've got a band and a sound engineer?
0:22:31 > 0:22:32Yes!
0:22:33 > 0:22:36At the end of a rainbow, there's light.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43Will The Gateway pass the sound test?
0:22:43 > 0:22:46Will Tina and Cherin finally get to open up?
0:22:46 > 0:22:49They'll find out soon enough.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53Cardiff, it's G-Day at the Crwys, the grand opening,
0:22:53 > 0:22:56the usual last-minute fluffing is taking place
0:22:56 > 0:22:57and Gary is in the thick of it.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00Little bits and pieces to do and we're nearly there.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04I haven't stopped since six o'clock this morning.
0:23:04 > 0:23:09I haven't had a sandwich. This is what we've been striving for.
0:23:09 > 0:23:14It'll be lovely just to open the doors and serve the general public.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18That's what it's about. Can't wait to meet the regulars and attract new clientele.
0:23:18 > 0:23:23It's close to zero hour and everything's ready for the launch.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27Gary's got opening night nerves, but he's eager to meet his public.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31Can you turn the music up now, please? Only a touch.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34Let's go and open the doors, then.
0:23:35 > 0:23:40- All right, love. Are you OK? We're just about there.- Are you?
0:23:40 > 0:23:44Welcome to the Crwys. I know you're regulars. I hope everything's fine.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47The Crwys has been transformed.
0:23:47 > 0:23:53Its modern decor, a world away from the snug nooks and crannies of its previous incarnation.
0:23:53 > 0:23:59Outside, the welcoming beer garden is a Shangri-La for exhaling smokers.
0:23:59 > 0:24:05And the skittle alley is a gastro kitchen now. But what do the old regulars make of it all?
0:24:05 > 0:24:08Walked in here, not sure what we were going to find.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10Told...two months ago now?
0:24:10 > 0:24:17- That's right.- ..that it was closing down and being renovated. But impressed with what we've found.
0:24:17 > 0:24:1915 years ago, I worked in this place.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23A bizarre little place. Tiled ugly floors, a really old pub.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26I find this quite phenomenal to see.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30And I like the new landlord. He's made us all feel welcome.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33I would like the music turned down!
0:24:33 > 0:24:36- Turn the music down.- I wish he'd turn the music down.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39I've been drinking here a long time
0:24:39 > 0:24:44and I was a bit wary about what Brains were going to do to it.
0:24:44 > 0:24:49But I got to be honest, this is...supreme!
0:24:49 > 0:24:53It's one of the best looking places I've been in for a long time.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57Really good crowd in, lots of regulars, all pretty much
0:24:57 > 0:25:02seem to be impressed, especially with the garden and decor.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05I'm trying to reassure them it's going to stay as a community pub,
0:25:05 > 0:25:09it's not going to suddenly try and change the type of clientele.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13They understand that change needs to happen for these pubs to survive.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17It keeps the pub open and keeps people in the pubs.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23Whilst Gary and the Crwys enjoy a successful re-launch,
0:25:23 > 0:25:29at the White Hart, there have been no last minute miracles.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33Trade is so low that barmaid Natasha
0:25:33 > 0:25:36now spends much of her shift reading.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39Having spent the bulk of her working life behind a bar,
0:25:39 > 0:25:43Lorraine has finally decided to accept the inevitable.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47I'm just not capable of doing it any more.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51It's the end of my life, really. 37 years running pubs is a long time.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54What do I do for the rest of my life?
0:25:54 > 0:25:57I'd like to be able to say in six months,
0:25:57 > 0:26:01I'd come back and see the place absolutely buzzing and I hope I can.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05To be able to walk in and just say, "Oh, great!
0:26:05 > 0:26:07"The pub's come back to life."
0:26:07 > 0:26:10But I don't know. Nobody knows what's round the corner.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16The job has got the better of me. Worn me out completely.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20So...they can't rebuild me.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23Some would say - good!
0:26:23 > 0:26:26Lorraine has decided to retire.
0:26:26 > 0:26:30A dignified exit for the dignified old school landlady
0:26:30 > 0:26:35whose traditional old boozer has fallen out of fashion and out of time.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40In Porth, Tina fights on.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44The neo-classical jazz ensemble they scrambled to find
0:26:44 > 0:26:46are in for the council soundcheck.
0:26:46 > 0:26:47But it's not going to plan.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51The audio levels are higher than expected and apparently,
0:26:51 > 0:26:54the band can be heard from next door.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00And that means it's "No" for the licence.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02I don't know if we'll be able to have bands.
0:27:02 > 0:27:07We're not allowed to do it, but I'm not going to give up, babes.
0:27:07 > 0:27:11The verdict has left Tina and Cherin in a difficult place.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14But with so much time invested and money spent,
0:27:14 > 0:27:19Tina believes that there's no choice other than to soldier on.
0:27:19 > 0:27:25November 2011 and at the Groundhog Day that is the Gateway, Tina and Cherin,
0:27:25 > 0:27:31having already worked through Plans A-Y, are optimistically moving on to Plan Z.
0:27:31 > 0:27:36This has cost mega bucks, this foam. We've done double the thickness.
0:27:36 > 0:27:41It's like a big sound barrier, hopefully to drop at least 10db.
0:27:41 > 0:27:46It's going to open and it's going to be fun and it's going to be better than it was before.
0:27:46 > 0:27:51Get this audibility test done again. We're quite confident with that.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55And then hopefully have the licence and be open before Christmas.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58I think we should celebrate.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03Cheers, me-dears!
0:28:03 > 0:28:0915 months and £120,000 later, Tina's pub problems keep rolling on.
0:28:09 > 0:28:14Who knows if the Gateway will ever open or if Tina will see her money again?
0:28:14 > 0:28:19In the meantime, let's raise a glass with Tina and any other colourful can-do maverick out there
0:28:19 > 0:28:22doing their bit to keep Welsh pubs alive.
0:28:25 > 0:28:30Coming up in the next episode - four friends from Carmarthen take over their local,
0:28:30 > 0:28:36but their ambitions don't just lay in pulling pints. They're going into the business of making them too.
0:28:36 > 0:28:41- The beer may be a bit too strong. It's not what we want. - Got to get it right. No ifs or buts.
0:28:41 > 0:28:48But will their DIY beer make or break their fledgling brewery business?
0:28:49 > 0:28:53Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:53 > 0:28:56E-mail us at subtitling@bbc.co.uk