Hi Paul, as Leveller said, you've worked hard to get the show on the road.
It's frightening that the types of pub where folkies are encouraged to gather, seem to be going in this direction.
(Not so, the [seemingly] successful eating-house type of pubs of the new millennium).
Your Landlord's tale sounds similar to Claire and Dave at Guisborough Globe and probably the Minerva at Hull.
This problem of pubs shutting is much more wide spread than anyone could have imagined.
Apart from the general economic down turn, I, and many others, are convinced that the British have shot themselves in the foot over the 100% smoking ban in pubs - it could have been handled so everyone was a winner.
When the government and zealots got rid of the smokers from pubs they got rid of their "bread and butter" customers.
It's a pity the over-educated idiots who spawned this piece of ill-thought-out social Engineering are not frequenting and supporting their local pubs.
The fact is, these idiots never sat in smoke-filled rooms, they simply never went to pubs.
Now they've stopped you smoking in pubs, soon, in conjunction with Greedy Breweries, they'll soon stop you drinking in them.

Good luck to you Paul, Wendy and the Landlord and I keep my fingers crossed for you all.