Children’s drawings hung in Doncaster pub window to lift villagers spirits

Rita Cox, aged 59, is the landlady of The White Hart pub in Wadworth and she and her staff have adorned the building with flags and children’s drawings to make passers-by and village residents smile.

She said: “It was my assistant manager's idea - we give children drawing materials at the table to pacify them and we always keep them.

“We decided to put them up in the windows to lift people’s spirits a little.

“The village pub is the heart of the community and we want to serve ours even if we can’t be open.”

Children in the Wadworth village have been bringing in more artwork to add to the windows since they were put up.

Rita has been adding their names and phone numbers to them so that when they re-open to the public she can do a raffle with prizes.

The pub has started delivering food in the Wadworth, Balby and Tickhill areas.

They are at a reduced rate of £5 for anybody over the age of 65 and £8 to everyone else.

Menu items include: homemade meat pie, scampi and chips, quiche and chili con carne.

Children’s options are: fish fingers and chips, sausage and mash and a Yorkshire pudding.

“I’m keeping all my staff on when I could have shut down on Friday,” she continued.

“I’ve moved into the pub so this will be my home if we lockdown.

“I’ve run pubs for 38 years and I’m thinking about the community - until the government says that I can’t do this I am.”

The pub delivered 150 meals on Sunday, March 22 and Rita has no plans to slow down.

She said: “If I’m still ordering food from my suppliers then it will have a positive knock-on effect on them - my vegetable man told me his trade was down 70 per cent last week.”

If you want to order a meal from the pub you can call them on 01302 857622.

They’re available from 12 - 8pm daily.