The owners of a Wirral venue have offered to pay for customers' parking, after declaring "if people don't use us, we won't survive". Husband and wife Richie and Hazel Pitt are the owners of Liscard's The Scrapyard, previously telling the ECHO it was a "no-brainer" for them to take over a bar not far from where they live.
Background on The Scrapyard
At the time, the two explained how the venue was already known as a "unique hotspot" with a big personality, becoming a go-to destination with the community for entertainment, food and drink. Dad-of-three Richie, from Wallasey, previously told the ECHO: "Previous owner Claire did a great job here and built a great reputation for The Scrapyard over many years, while we've been running The Coffee Roast at Vale Park. When we heard The Scrapyard had closed, we just had to step in and continue Claire's great work here. It was a no-brainer, and now we've made some exciting new additions too."
Current challenges
However, fast forward to now and the team find themselves in a different situation. Earlier this month, the couple said "there comes a point where you have to be honest". They added: "We've spent thousands creating spaces we hoped our community would be proud of. Have we got everything right? No. We've made mistakes, listened to feedback and worked hard to improve. That's all part of taking on something this big."
"What many people don't see is the reality behind running independent venues. Every month we face huge energy bills, VAT, business rates, rent, staff wages, insurance, stock costs, brewery invoices, licensing costs and countless other expenses before we've even served our first customer."
"We're not a big chain with shareholders or a head office. We're a local family trying to keep two independent venues alive. The truth is this, if people don't use us, we won't survive." They said, unless things change, they feared both of the venues - The Scrapyard and The Wellington Music Venue - would be forced to close within weeks. They said: "This isn't a marketing stunt or a plea for sympathy."
Parking offer to attract customers
The Wellington Music Venue has established itself as a regular fixture on the Wirral live music circuit, hosting performances by both local and touring artists. Located on Seaview Road in Liscard, it regularly stages live music events featuring a range of genres, from rock and blues to indie and acoustic acts. Now, trying to stop this fear from becoming a reality, the couple are offering to pay for parking. They said: "If parking has ever put you off visiting Liscard... let us take that excuse away."
"When you visit The Scrapyard, we'll pay for your parking (subject to our offer terms). It doesn't matter which car park you choose to use, we'll cover it. (Take a photo of the ticket on the day). We hear it all the time...There's nowhere to park. The reality is that Liscard has well over 500 parking spaces across its public and private car parks, all within a short walk of the town centre."
"We also hear people say, 'There aren't any decent shops left in Liscard'. We understand why people feel that way, but if we keep telling everyone that Liscard is dead, has nothing to offer, and isn't worth visiting, who in their right mind is going to invest here?"
"Every empty shop started as a business that needed customers. Every new business will only come if they believe people want to shop here. The independent businesses that are here are fighting every day to keep our town centre alive. They need customers, not constant negativity. So here's our challenge. Come and visit. Park where you want. We'll pay for your parking. Have a drink (non alcoholic beverages available), have some food, and support a local independent business."
"If enough of us start backing Liscard instead of writing it off, we might just help bring our town centre back to life. Support local. Support Liscard. We'll cover the parking."
