Men camp outside their favourite Horsham pub waiting for ‘banter with the boys’ to return

A Horsham man braved freezing temperatures to camp outside his favourite pub ahead of it reopening.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Chris Cole, 46, said he and his friend John Pettitt have spent four months waiting for pubs to reopen so they can once again enjoy a drink with their mates.

The window cleaner said: “I said I’m coming up there with a tent and we’re going to be the first in.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Chris’s impromptu camp outside his favourite watering hole – The Bear drew a crowd, he said, and the pair remained outside the pub until around 11pm when the town centre emptied.

Chris Cole, left, and John Pettit camped out waiting for 'banter with the boys' to returnChris Cole, left, and John Pettit camped out waiting for 'banter with the boys' to return
Chris Cole, left, and John Pettit camped out waiting for 'banter with the boys' to return

But the duo have got a table booked for midday today, April 12, and are looking forward to their first pub pint in months.

Chris said: “It was just more a laugh – to get morale up and to say that the pubs open tomorrow.

“I wanted to be definitely first in. It was cold but we were just having a laugh and keeping morale up.

“It’s a bit of pub banter.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Chris said his first drink when the pubs reopen will be a pint of Fosters.

He added: “Nice and mellow, not too strong.”

Asked what he had missed most about the pub Chris said: “The banter with the boys. Usually every Friday all us boys – window cleaners – we meet up there on every Friday for a couple of hours and just have a laugh.

“All the boys go up there and have a bit of good banter after work. It’s just brilliant – good atmosphere.”

Have you visited the pub since they’ve reopened? Share your beer garden pictures with us at [email protected]