It’s a cold, grey late winter midweek lunchtime but the bar at The British Queen pub on Willingdon Triangle is a welcome refuge for workers thirsty for a pint and friends dining and laughing.
This very traditional pub has a relaxed atmosphere as people leave phones in their pockets and socialise, bantering with manager Angela Cain and her staff.
A group of retired firefighters sit around a table for their regular meet-up while some customers come in alone but immediately perch on a stool for a chat with whoever is nearby.
Everyone seems to know everyone – and everyone knows Angela.
This is perhaps why The British Queen has created a community which has raised at least £30,000 for charity over the last 15 years since Angela became manager.
In that time, the pub has hosted regular charity days, coffee mornings, quizzes, raffles and band nights, all of which have brought in funds for a long list of charities.
She is undoubtedly the driving force behind this extraordinary outpouring of generosity from her customers and those who support her.
Angela, above, 59, is quick to praise the bands who perform for free, the suppliers who donate produce and those who give raffle prizes and their time to events at the pub.
“We are very lucky, because we are very well supported. It is incredible how it has progressed from how it started 15 years ago – it’s just amazing. Everything I have tried has just worked,” she said.
“I have been told this is a proper pub. It is a ‘locals’ pub but we get a lot of passing trade too. I think it belongs to everyone,” she said. Our chat is briefly interrupted by her occasional dash behind the bar to help her colleague or to bring food out from the kitchen.
Angela personally experienced the warmth of the community last year when her husband Robin, a retired rail engineer, died. She is still moved when talking about the support she received.
“When people asked him what his wife did, he always said ‘She runs a pub’. I always told him he didn’t have to say that, but he was really proud!” Her son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren live just a few doors away from her in the Old Town.
Angela worked in various pubs around Eastbourne, joining The British Queen 20 years ago before becoming manager. What is the attraction of the pub business?
“I like the interaction with people, the service and the laughs you have. When people are enjoying themselves, it makes it all worthwhile.”
The last annual charity day in May 2023, a big event with bands, a barbecue and stalls, raised £4,000 and the coffee mornings alone raised a total of nearly £3,000 last year.
The pub has two chefs and 13 bar staff. “They’re a great bunch,” said Angela.
The British Queen is in a double-fronted Georgian building: the mock Tudor facade was added in 1935. The pub was enlarged after it was taken over by Courage in 1965.
Angela’s schedule of charity events is set to continue this year – the coffee mornings alone now regularly attract dozens of people.
The last of the retired firefighters leave by the side steps to the car park. Angela waves them off amid banter and jokes before returning to her place behind the bar making everyone feel at home.
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An amazing pub and pub land lady who goes above and beyond and supports charities with amazing results.
When I moved here I went there and felt welcome the moment I walked in the door. I am not a regular but I do go occasionally with friends and have eaten there and also been involved in their brilliant quiz night. Would thoroughly recommend
Sue and I have been drinking in the Queen since 2007. It’s the most friendliest, welcoming pub in the area. We are in our 50s/60s and know most people in the pub and we are always shown respect by the younger crowd. We love the atmosphere, music and charity days. Ange and the team are amazing. Long live the British Queen with Ange at the helm!