The Wolverhampton city centre pub that counts its customers as friends

Lisa Parsons, licensee of The Wheatsheaf in Wolverhampton is loving life running the city centre pub which has become a community hub for locals.

The pub, on the corner of Market Street, has been around since the mid-1800s according to Lisa and has a great community feel as the regulars become more than just customers and instead have formed more of a friendship.

After making the move from West Bromwich to Wolverhampton eight years ago - a move to the 'golden side' she said, Lisa has fully embraced Wolverhampton, is now a season-ticker holder at Molineux Stadium and is loving life in Wolves.

Having run The Wheatsheaf for eight years now, she is more motivated than ever to continue running the establishment and points to the proud celebration of their British heritage as one of the key factors that has made the business a success for herself.

After going through a tough time all round for everyone in the hospitality industry and now the energy crisis, she hasn’t allowed that to deter her from making the business a success and is thankful that due to the popularity of the pub, they are doing really well at the moment and do not have to worry too much about the rising energy bills.

“Thankfully because our sales and the support we get off our regulars, the energy isn’t an issue at the moment," she said.

“They (the customers) keep us busy and it is really helping us get through - they are some really loyal people.

“And it is great because it is not just commuters walking by or people visiting for shopping popping in for a drink, we have a regular set of customers that come into town specifically to visit our pub, which is a fantastic thing for us.”

As Remembrance weekend is upon us, Lisa and the Wheatheaf pub will be marking the moment with at tribute of their own.

They currently have a large Union Jack flag outside the pub and decorations inside the pub, all to mark the Remembrance weekend. Lisa said this is because she is very proud of her British heritage, and wants to thank the servicemen and servicewomen for their service, those fallen and those still serving.

Lisa added: “We do this every year, making a big thing of Remembrance Day. Because we want to show our thanks

“It is our way of saying thank you. We get a lot of veterans that come into the pub throughout the year, and so we show our thanks to them by doing decoration, we have football shirts and military regimental flags on our walls and ceilings from our regular veterans, so we want to make it a special occasion for them.

“We owe them so much, and it is also because my Dad also served too. I lost him two years ago due to Covid, and so it is extra special to me, to mark this occasion.

“We celebrate a lot of British traditions and festivities throughout the year and I think this is why people love coming here and keep coming back - we’re very proud of the British heritage.”

The Wheatsheaf will be serving breakfast on Armistice Day on Sunday, November 13, before Lisa will head to a Remembrance service and lay a wreath.

She added that all veterans are welcome to a discounted breakfast and a free pint on Sunday to mark the occasion.

Following their Halloween celebration, the pub marks Remembrance weekend and then focuses on Christmas, which is a big time for the community, and Lisa said they work with St Bartholomew’s Church in Penn.

On December 16, members of the church are invited to an annual event where they sing Christmas carols and welcome the customers to join in the festivities, which include festive food and drink including mulled wine.

Lisa added: “It’s a great time of the year where people are in the festive mood after Halloween until the end of the year but I always remind them that for us, it is Remembrance weekend and then Christmas celebrations, and we will be getting involved in all the festivities and making it a special time for our customers."