WITH pubs closed by the government, two local landlords are finding new ways to stay at the heart of the community.

Sarah and Phil Taylor took over behind the bar of the Windwhistle Inn in October last year.

This weekend they will be hosting their second social distanced car boot sale.

Sarah said: “Our first was such a success and with us having the use of the fields and the ability to host such an event keeping to the two metre restrictions, we have kept it going.

“We are doing one each fortnight, it is free for browsers to enter, and runs form 7.30am to 11am.

“Sellers can arrive from 7am and it is £8 per car and £10 per van”

On top if this Sarah and Phil have been orchestrating a mass renovation of the inside of the pub with exciting ideas moving into the latter part of 2020 and into 2021.

Phil said: “We are using one of the fields now to assist with training for Crewkerne Rugby Club and have partnered with them moving forward to be an additional training ground.

“We love to be able to work with our communities and I am so passionate about rugby, it seemed so right.”

They are also in the process of finalising their Windy Garden Club.

Sarah added: “Once the lockdown enables us to be more social we want to invite anyone up to the pub and open up our gardens to the community.

“We are going to be building raised beds for easier access and it’s a chance for people to come up, meet new friends, have a cup of tea and share the joy of gardening.

“With everyone being in lockdown for so long and with the impacts this can have on mental health, gardening is a proven natural therapy. It is another way we want to be able to give back and be a place for everyone.”

Alongside this both Sarah Tricker and John Daley have been the customers entertained with a weekly online quiz.

John is the resident quizmaster and the pair of them have been promoting on social media with John doing Facebook Live videos every Sunday at 8pm.

He has done general knowledge quizzes and music quizzes.

The quiz is free to enter and the pair have been promoting and organising for free, enabling them to raise money for local charities.

So far in April, John and Sarah have raised more than £500 for MIND Somerset.

In May, they raised more than £500 for St Margaret’s Hospice Somerset and this month, their charity of choice is Ferne Animal Sanctuary. For more, visit facebook.com/thewindwhistleinn.