A Manchester taproom has issued a desperate plea for people to support their local pubs and bars amid fears over the impact of the Omicron variant.
Hospitality businesses across the city have been hit by a flood of cancellations following a rise in Covid-19 cases and a ramping up of restrictions.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said people should 'think carefully' before going out to celebrate this Christmas, while England’s chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty advised Britons to consider cutting back on socialising.
The announcements have drawn concern from the hospitality industry as people weigh up whether to risk nights out or cancel their plans to improve their chances of spending Christmas with family.
READ MORE: Man, 45, dies after being hit by car on the M60
Steve Dunkley, from Beer Nouveau, a brewery and tap room located in the railway arches in North Western Street, said he feared some businesses could disappear in the New Year without financial support from the government.
In a series of posts from the brewery's Twitter account, he said: "It's the last working Friday before Christmas. Normally, from not long after lunchtime, pubs, bars and taps up and down the country would be packed with people.
"We've been looking forward to this all year, it's been one of the few lights in the tunnel of 2021 that's kept a lot of us going. We've all been losing money all year, or barely staying afloat.
"We've spent what little we've had to make our venues safe, warm and welcoming. We've hoped that this weekend would cover that, and see us into next year.
"Well, now I'm sat here wondering if I'll even get into double figures of customers at any point this weekend.
"This industry now officially sucks for us all. That people are still determined to go out and support us is great, but the simple fact is that there aren't enough wonderful people to support us all.
"Without financial support from the government, January will see a lot of pubs closing. That will mean staff laid off too.
"Without the pubs, we'll see a lot of suppliers closing. That includes breweries and food suppliers. The smaller ones will go first. And that includes all their staff.
"When they go, the people that supply them will go. And their staff will be unemployed too.
"Simply put, the cost of financial support to keep us all afloat will be far less than that of unemployment support.
"Please, support your local pubs and bars this weekend. Yes, we need the support. But mostly, it might be the last time you get to go to them."
Last week, Manchester’s night time economy advisor, Sacha Lord, said every operator he had spoken to across the region last week had faced cancellations, while some venues have been reporting as much as 50 per cent of Christmas party bookings being cancelled or postponed.
Meanwhile, Greater Manchester's mayor Andy Burnham has called on the government to bring forward a support package for businesses affected by the latest round of Covid advice.
Steve Dunkley, the owner of Beer Nouveau, added: "I don't think any of us want sympathy, we just want support.
"The bounce back loans we got have now proven to be an albatross around our necks.
"We got them out to stay open, but we're now having to repay them with little to no income to even cover our running costs.
"After a year and a half of this every small bar and brewery I've talked to is running on fumes and debt.
"A lot of them won't admit it, there's the constant brave face, happy party attitude that comes with our industry, but behind the scenes we're exhausted, broke and broken."
