What it's like in Harley's Bar, the tiny South Shields pub with a huge community spirit

Harley’s Bar, in Sunderland Road, opened four years ago in 2017 after a full refurbishment of the building, and is one the towns smallest bars.

But despite its limited capacity, the bar has a strong community spirit and recently held its first Macmillian coffee morning, where it raised a total of £674 for the cancer charity.

According to the bar's owner, Charlotte Bell, the bar being on the small side has its benefits.

“It’s definitely a challenge running a bar, especially one like this, but we get some lovely local people in and it’s always a brilliant, happy atmosphere,” she said.

"Anyone that comes in is always made to feel welcome.”

Charlotte said Harley’s Bar regularly raises money for local and national charitable causes and is looking forward to continue doing this in the future.

Despite the challenges of running one of the town's smallest bars, it’s all worth it for the tight-knit atmosphere at Harley’s, according to Charlotte, who was blown away by the kindness and generosity of donations for Macmillan.

“For such a small bar the support we have is amazing,” she said.

"Macmillian deserve every penny they can get and all the support. We chose to raise money for them because there’s a few regulars and staff who have lost loved ones to cancer and Macmillian offers brilliant support.

“A lot of people have been made redundant and lost their jobs over the last year and a half but people still rallied and come together to raise this money. It’s so wonderful to see, especially with how tough things are at the moment.”

This was the first time Harley’s has raised money for Macmillian, with donations coming from bar regulars, staff and local businesses around South Shields.

The annual Macmillan Coffee Morning was held on September 24 and helps the charity in its efforts to support people across the UK affected by cancer.

The yearly drive has become a firm fixture of the nation’s fundraising calendar, even continuing through covid.

To find out more about Harley’s Bar, visit their Facebook page via www.facebook.com/bellcharlottte/?ref=page_internal

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