logo
UK's only Guinness attraction to open in time for Christmas party season

UK's only Guinness attraction to open in time for Christmas party season

The Sun21-05-2025

LONDON'S Guinness microbrewery is a step closer to opening, as a launch date is announced.
The new Guinness venue will be located in Covent Garden, next to the iconic Stanford's bookshop.
3
3
The venue is now expected to open in the run up to Christmas this year.
The brewery was originally announced back in 2022 - however, since then it Guinness has spiked in demand, with some pubs in the capital having to hand out ration cards for the drink.
Officially called The Open Gate Brewery, the build for the venue has cost £73million.
It is located on a historic site that first produced beer over 300 years ago.
In total, the venue spans 50,000-square-foot, across five buildings and will feature events spaces, a rooftop with panoramic views, a merch shop and a microbrewery serving up 14 limited edition brews.
There will also be no and low alcohol options.
Guinness itself however, will not be brewed on site as all the Guinness produced for Europe is brewed in Dublin.
The venue will also boast three different food spots including a food truck, brasserie and grill and a seafood restaurant on the rooftop.
Guinness hopes that the free-to-enter destination will attract half a million visitors in its first year.
The destination will be open from 9:30am to 11:30pm each day, with paid tours available in the early evenings.
Why Guinness tastes better in Ireland
This will be the fourth site for the drink brand, with other locations in Dublin, Baltimore and Chicago.
According to The Standard, the venue will also become the southern UK hub of Diageo's Learning for Life Bartending and Hospitality programme.
The programme aims for over 100 London based students to graduate from the 'Guinness at Old Brewer's Yard' programme annually.
Brewing originally took place at the site from 1722 to 1905.
Beers originally produced at the brewery included the aged brown beers, which became knowns as 'Stout Porter' before the name was eventually shortened to 'stout'.
Last year, another popular drink brand - Heineken - announced it would reopen 62 popular British pubs with £39million investment injection.
Plus, the UK's highest pub with insane countryside views set to open new beer garden.
3

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Three union leaders included in King's Birthday Honours
Three union leaders included in King's Birthday Honours

The Independent

time19 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Three union leaders included in King's Birthday Honours

Three trade union leaders have been included in the King's Birthday Honours for services to areas including education and green jobs. Dave Ward, long-serving general secretary of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) is made a CBE for services to trade unions, and Dr Patrick Roach, who recently retired as general secretary of the NASUWT teachers' union is made a CBE for services to education. Sue Ferns, deputy general secretary of the civil service union Prospect, is made an OBE for services to green jobs and workplace transition. Mr Ward has been general secretary of the CWU for a decade, leading the union through the privatisation of Royal Mail and recent sale of the postal giant to Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky. He started work as a messenger boy at Tooting delivery office in south London before becoming a union rep, holding several positions before succeeding Billy Hayes as general secretary in 2015. He is married with four children, supports Chelsea and is a keen blues guitarist. He told the PA news agency: 'The New Deal for Workers campaign was founded and led by the CWU. 'At a time when society has never been more unequal the trade union movement pushing Labour to turn this campaign into a new Employment Rights Bill could not have been more important. 'This honour is recognition of our union's work in this area and for the way we stand up for postal, telecom, financial services and tech workers across the UK. 'I joined the GPO as a telegram boy in 1976 and it is a privilege to now be the general secretary of a union that campaigns for our members in and out of the workplace. 'We now need employers and the Government to go even further in rebalancing workplaces and society. We will continue to lead this.' Dr Roach stepped down as NASUWT general secretary in April after five years. The son of Jamaican immigrant parents, he grew up in Walsall, West Midlands, in the 1970s, and has described how he faced racism at school on a daily basis. He is married with two children. He was a teacher of politics and sociology in further education and was a researcher and lecturer in education, social policy and equalities in higher education. He later joined NASUWT and headed the union's education and equalities work before becoming assistant general secretary and then deputy general secretary. He has served in a number of voluntary roles as a school governor and in supporting the provision of supplementary education for African Caribbean children. Dr Roach became head of the union in 2020 at the start of the first national lockdown, leading union members in uncharted territory as schools and colleges, teachers and headteachers adapted to one of the most challenging post-war periods in education. As head of the TUC's anti-racism taskforce, Dr Roach was instrumental in leading Britain's trade union movement in challenging racism and injustice at work. He told the PA news agency: 'I am humbled and incredibly proud to be granted this honour. 'It has been my privilege to have been afforded the opportunity to devote my career to education and in the service of NASUWT members, teachers and headteachers, whose commitment, work and dedication every day continues to inspire, shape lives and make a world of difference.' Sue Ferns, who has also been a member of the TUC General Council since 2005, grew up in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, and was the first member of her family to go to university, studying industrial relations at Salford University. After graduating in 1982, she started working for the TUC's economics department. She joined Prospect in 1993, becoming head of research in 2002, director of communications and research in 2013, and senior deputy general secretary in 2018. She has campaigned on issues including the gender pensions gap, workers' rights in the science, engineering and energy sectors, and clean energy. She has taken part in several government taskforces and working groups, particularly on clean energy jobs and workforce skills. She told the PA news agency: 'I am privileged to have spent my career in the trade union movement, determined to make a positive difference to the lives of working people. 'I'd like to thank the countless colleagues, trade union representatives and members within our movement, whose commitment to improving the lives of others has been an inspiration throughout my career.'

HMRC can't be bothered to send letters (unless you owe it money)
HMRC can't be bothered to send letters (unless you owe it money)

Times

time40 minutes ago

  • Times

HMRC can't be bothered to send letters (unless you owe it money)

HM Revenue & Customs will stop sending physical letters to taxpayers in the latest move to 'modernise' and save £50 million a year. The tax office confirmed it would 'eliminate' outbound post unless it is revenue generating, cutting the number of letters it sends by 75 per cent by the 2028-29 tax year. The government promised an extra £500 million in funding over the next four years in Wednesday's spending review, with the aim of pushing at least 90 per cent of customer interactions online and making HMRC a 'digital-first organisation'. Lindsay Scott from the Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT), a trade body, said withdrawing physical letters prematurely 'risks further damaging customer service'. 'Plans to phase out post must be handled with care, with robust safeguards to protect those who are digitally excluded or lack digital confidence,' Scott said. This year, 70 per cent of the tax office's interactions with taxpayers were 'digital self-serve', but HMRC estimates that about a fifth of its customers, or seven million people, still need assistance to use its digital services. Last year, more than 300,000 filed their tax returns on paper. The department's previous attempts to digitise have also been widely criticised. Its Making Tax Digital initiative has cost at least £1 billion more in real terms than its initial £226 million budget when it was proposed in 2016, according to the National Audit Office, which scrutinises government spending. In 2023, it said the rollout for self-assessment tax returns was at least eight years behind schedule. The tax office has also come under fire for its track record with customer communications. Its webchat service, launched in 2015, connected less than half of the time, according to a report by the CIOT and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, a trade body, published in December. The report also showed taxpayers were satisfied with webchats 28 per cent of the time and the phonelines 56 per cent of the time, although HMRC's own satisfaction estimates are much higher. On the phone lines, callers spent an average of 23 minutes on hold in the last tax year and 34 per cent of callers gave up before they were connected in 2023 — more than double the target of 15 per cent or less. The investment announced on Wednesday comes as part of a wider push to revitalise the tax office, with an additional £1.6 billion in spending over the next four years also confirmed for reforming its technology and data infrastructure. The full spending package aims to raise £7.5 billion additional tax revenue a year by 2029-30, by digitising services and hiring an extra 7,900 staff to work on compliance and debt management. The government said it will use the extra revenue to 'fund vital public services'. HMRC said: 'Reducing the number of letters we send and communicating in different ways instead will provide a better service for our customers in line with modern-day expectations, as well as deliver savings of £50 million by 2028-29.'

Minister visits Blackwood to discuss employment and welfare
Minister visits Blackwood to discuss employment and welfare

South Wales Argus

time40 minutes ago

  • South Wales Argus

Minister visits Blackwood to discuss employment and welfare

The event was led by the UK Government's employment minister, Alison McGovern MP, who visited the venue last week. Organised by Ruth Jones MP, the discussion was part of nationwide feedback on Government proposals to "Get Britain Working". These plans include fortifying workers' rights and a comprehensive reform of Jobcentres. The consultation is open to public input until June 30. Representatives from various organisations, as well as customers, participated in the roundtable discussion alongside Caerphilly Council's Employment Support Team. The team, which uses the UK Government's Shared Prosperity Fund and Welsh Government funding, offers community-based employability support. Their mission is to promote sustainable employment and tackle inequality by targeting support at the most disadvantaged in the labour market. They provide comprehensive one-to-one support, fully-funded training, and dedicated mentors to help individuals overcome employment barriers. Councillor Jamie Pritchard, the deputy leader, said: "Here in Caerphilly county borough, we are taking great strides to support people into employment. "Our Employment Support Team are working with employers daily, with the ambition to support over 1,000 underemployed and unemployed people over the coming year. "The roundtable in Blackwood Miners' Institute was an important opportunity to listen, learn, and explore practical ways to help people overcome barriers and build brighter futures." Minister for employment, Alison McGovern, said: "It has been fantastic to be here in Blackwood today with Ruth Jones MP and the deputy council leader Jamie Pritchard, to hear from people and organisations with lived experience of the welfare system." To learn more about the initiatives undertaken by the Caerphilly County Borough Council's Employment Support team, visit the council's website.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store