A beloved pub in a seaside community has been saved by a mother-and-son duo after coming close to closure. 

Tracey Corkhill and Alex Bailes took on The Coalhouse Pub in Seaham after hearing that it might have to shut when the former owner retired. 

Motivated by their love of the community watering hole, Tracey and Alex took over ownership of the pub last Sunday, a week after the former owner, John McMahon, retired. 

Catering to an older clientele, the Pub has become well known as Seaham's premier spot for real ale marked by its inclusion in CAMRA's Good Beer Guide, and has a popular open mic night every Sunday. 

Read more: Coalhouse Pub in Seaham in County Durham may shut

John opened The Coalhouse in the summer of 2018 as Seaham's only bar dedicated to serving real ale from North East breweries. 

But despite the pub's dedicated clientele, when John decided to retire in 2022 finding a new owner to take over the establishment was difficult, making him think he would have to shut the pub for good. 

Hearing about the pub's plight, Tracey and Alex made the snap decision to step in and save their favourite venue. Having experience in the hospitality industry, the pair thought they were in the perfect position to keep The Coalhouse community alive. 

Tracey, a Seaham native, said that the pub is one of the best venues in the neighbourhood, and has cultivated a set of devoted customers, which she jokes is a little bit like a "dysfunctional family". 

"Sundays are the reason that we decided to take over the pub - the pub is full, and everyone comes together to sing for the open mic night - but we will have to work on the rest of the week. 

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She is hopeful that this tradition of Sundays will carry on - and it seems as though the community are rallying around to make this little pub a success - with the inaugural Sunday leaving the pub "ram-packed". 

When speaking about the North East's recent spate of business closures, Tracey said: "The scariest thing is that we only decided to take the business on a couple of weeks ago.

"Coming up to Christmas we should be okay, but it is still extremely daunting to take over a business at the time.

"We have said we will give it six months, and everyone is mucking in to try and make it successful - the whole family is involved.

"John, the former owner, has stayed back to show us the ropes and my eldest son Anthony is helping by working in the pub too."

The Coalhouse Pub is "still kicking", and the new managers hope that they can keep this important community hub open. 

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