On the first day of looking for places for the bananathon I had a drive around Reddish, just to see what I could see. I was keen on getting venues involved that had some sort of connection with Tarzan, Jane or bananas. As I drove along Gorton Road, I noticed a massive, really well kept pub and lo and behold it had 'Tree' in it's name.
The Fir Tree is a proper community pub, which doesn't just brim with locals, as people come from miles around to see the wealth of entertainment on offer. Just have a look at the website to see the pictures of people enjoying themselves, the place is packed.
By focussing on what people want; entertainment, good food at a reasonable price, great coverage of the footy and a top range of drinks all in a safe and friendly environment, manager Tony Cooper has made the place into the thriving hub of Reddish.
When I called in, just after opening on a wet Wednesday a few weeks ago, Tony was more than generous with what he had to offer. He promised the fund not one, but two nights of fundraising with popular singers on Friday September 12th and the night of the bananathon.
Being a big footy pub, we had to wait until the TV fixtures were announced before picking a time for our visit, where we will be pulling pints and doing general bar work (Jane can clean the Ladies loo). On the day of the bananathon United are away to Liverpool and City are at home to Chelsea. As it has transpired, both have been picked up by TV, with United on Sky at 12.45 and City on Setanta at 5.15. It's imperative that our visit doesn't coincide with one of the games as we could be stark naked riding unicycles and no-one would take much notice.
So, we will be arriving between the two games, probably between 2.45pm and 3.30pm hoping that United have given the scousers a good beating. Tom, the Banana, is a season ticket holder at Old Trafford and so will miss the match. The consolation is that about 500 people will be in The Fir and Tony has said we can do a whip round whilst we are in there.
Two fundraising nights and a collection. I have a feeling that this venue may be the one which raises the most money in the day. Thanks a million Tony and The Fir Tree.
I have read the article in the MEN and it is excellent, especially as the editor chose a picture not featuring those hangers on Jane and the Banana. Best of all, Mike chose to combine the names of Sean and Jane and came up with the moniker 'Shane'. In about a year's time when Sean has leathered me for being sick to death of me calling him 'Shane' I may stop to see the funny side.
visit time TBC (between 2.45 and 4pm)
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