The Crows Nest on Douglas Road in Hull is set to relaunch on Thursday, July 24, following a significant investment of more than £260,000. The pub is part of Proper Pubs — the award-winning community wet-led operator division of Admiral Taverns — which operates more than 200 pubs across England, Scotland and Wales.
Behind the bar is passionate landlord, Kiely Sharkett, who took the pub over back in August 2024 and boasts almost two decades worth of experience within the hospitality industry. Having grown up in the locality — and spent the last 18-months at the helm of another nearby Proper Pub — the company said Kiely brings invaluable knowledge and insight to The Crows Nest. She is looking forward to cementing it at the heart of the area and having the watering hole supporting all aspects of community life.
Inside, the pub has been transformed to include brand new fittings, fixtures, flooring and furniture throughout, multiple flat screen televisions complete with Sky, TNT Sports and horse racing channels for customers to enjoy. In addition, visitors can expect a completely revamped bar, all new toilet facilities, a darts area and an updated function room which will be available for community use.
The transformation doesn’t stop there as outside, the Crows Nest hosts brand new lighting, fencing and signage to greet customers and a refreshed, spacious beer garden seating more than 40 people at the back and 10 people at the front.
The pub will officially relaunch at 6pm on Thursday, July 24, and to celebrate, the premises will host an exciting evening of live entertainment, including a performance from local singer, Donna Atkinson, from 8pm. There will also be plenty of games and a complimentary prosecco reception.
The Crows Nest will offer a wide range of drink promotions, including Wine Wednesday, where customers can get £2 off a bottle, and Fizz Friday, which will see customers able to buy a bottle of fizz for just £10. There will also be other offers including cocktails, bottle and shot deals throughout the week.
Kiely Sharkett, operator of the Crows Nest, said: “I’ve loved every minute of my time at the Crows Nest so far and it’s been fantastic watching the transformation come to life. I’ve known and loved this pub almost my whole life so it’s a real honour to be on this journey with it. I can’t wait to welcome customers back later this week and show off everything it has to offer.”
Kiely added that she is looking forward to hosting a busy schedule of regular entertainment including live music every weekend and a Wednesday social club where visitors can play bingo and do karaoke — amongst other fun activities. She will also be introducing brand new men and women’s pool teams from mid-September. This will coincide alongside the existing darts league, for those looking for a bit of friendly competition.
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In addition, the operator said they are committed to supporting an array of important charities and local initiatives close to her heart including Mysterious Minds – which she and various members of the community did a charity walk in aid of on Sunday, July 20 – and One Punch Hull. She will also be collecting food to donate to the local foodbank and raising money to have a lifesaving defibrillator installed at the pub.
Matthew Gurney, Operations Director for Proper Pubs, said: “It’s been a pleasure having Kiely at the helm of The Crows Nest and I’m delighted to see how well the refurbishment is progressing. We’re just in the process of finalising those finishing touches ready to welcome customers back to the pub on Thursday.
“On behalf of myself and the Proper Pubs team, we wish Kiely all the best with the reopening and look forward to seeing her plans for the pub come to life.”
He added that Proper Pubs is continually looking for ways to support its communities through an annual schedule of events and fundraising initiatives — and in March 2024, it was crowned Community Pub Operator at the Publican Awards. Most recently, the Group collected over 20,000 Easter Eggs to donate to communities in need and raised nearly £100,000 in three months for various local charities across the UK.
Last year, Proper Pubs also successfully donated enough food to local foodbanks across the UK to feed 1,300 people for a week and has also been recognised UK-wide defibrillator installation campaign which has reputedly already saved 11 lives.
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