The Travelodge chain of budget hotels recently built one of their cheap, thin-walled hotels in the town centre of Newcastle-under-Lyme, England. They built it next to the Old Brown Jug, a 200 year-old pub with a very long tradition of being the best live music venue in the area. They have had one complaint from a guest who said they couldn't get to sleep because of the noise from the venue, and have applied to the local Town Council to have the pub's music licence revoked (rather than provide proper soundproofing for their guests. This is a classic example of an incoming corporate giant trying to interfere with local life; and the Council is showing signs of wavering. A facebook group has gained over 2000 members in 3 days; I'm asking for help. If Mudcatters who are on Facebook as well put this group on their wall, there is a chance that this protest will 'go viral' and prove a significant thorn in the side of this (apparently) anti-music organisation. We've already lost one really good music venue in the area to Weatherspoons (the Wheatsheaf in Stoke), and don't want to lose another. The link to the Facebook page is here. Please help if you can.
Tim from the Slippery Hill Boys