Re: South Yorkshire Carol venues, the Travellers Rest at Oughtibridge is a Sam Smiths house. I was speaking to an elderly lady who has been singing in the pub for many decades, she told me that she had heard that this year (Dec 2004) would probably be the last year the singing would take place due to licencing contraints.

I was in the Vine in Dunham, near Lymm, Cheshire t'other night. All the piped music system had been removed, due, according to the lady behind the bar, to the unwillingness of the brewery to pay for the appropriate licence. She was under the impression the cost was in the region of £1000 per pub. Drinkers in the pub had mentioned that the place seemed 'quiet' without the sound system. I would point out that the when the sound system was installed and in use it certainly wasn't intrusive, it just provided a low level of background music.

Sam Smiths Bitter is £1.26 a pint around here, cheaper even than Holts. I suppose if you want cheap beer then something has to go. Still, if we didn't have this bloody stupid licence system (tax but by another name) the problem wouldn't occur.

John