Dear Mark,

WHAT YOU ACHIEVED

Cycling home a different way yesterday for once I was horrified to see that the pub had gone.

I looked up the history to find out what could have happened.

I think you did a really terrific job. Although I was never a regular enough visitor I felt completely confident - I could rely on taking my studio guests there.
– in fact an American printer friend from Paris recently was full of praise.

I think you particularly deserve praise for what clearly against the odds you achieved. It was relaxed, interesting and comfortable.

I’ve had many important and not so important meetings there, learned good news and bad and celebrated in the early days our studio’s Christmas party.

It will be very much missed by me.

My very best wishes and warm regards Mark, and good luck with whatever you set out to do next.

Christopher

Dear Christopher

Many thanks for taking the time to get in touch. It's very much appreciated.

The whole experience of learning the reality of the practices of UK pubco's and their systematic abuse of the beer tie has been unpleasant and gruelling in the extreme and has caused much personal loss. But during the process of learning in sixteen years of tenure at The Sun and Doves I networked with other tied lessees of similarly 'successful' busy pubs and together we set up the Fair Pint Campaign which has lobbied government to outlaw the tie with extraordinary success and now the future of the tie is in doubt and the pubco's, whose financial success is predicated upon the financial ruin of the lessees who run their estates, will soon find themselves with no place to go and a cancer will have been cut out of the pub industry.

And there were many, many exciting and uplifting experiences around running a pub among such a marvellous community as ours in Camberwell! If I can make something that supports me financially out of the experience, it will have all been worthwhile.

Unintentionally a bit of a speech.

Hope you are well Christopher

Best and thanks again

Mark