A pub in the town centre of Oldham will temporarily close after Easter to make way for major refurbishment works.

The Bees Knees pub on Fairbottom Street sits opposite the now-boarded-up Oldham Coliseum and mere feet away from the recently closed Harry's Bar on Yorkshire Street.

Yet despite this the pub is still standing strong in the community.

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Pub manager, Emma Keylock, said the team even extended their hours towards the end of last year to welcome Oldhamers who might be feeling at a loss about where to go due to mass closures of pubs and bars in the borough.

Speaking to The Oldham Times last December, Ms Keylock said: "The problem we’re seeing a lot in the hospitality industry is the venues are closing left, right and centre, and Oldham is one of the town centres that is getting hit by it badly.

“We want to prove to people that pubs can still go and not just become HMOs and takeaways and stuff like that, which is a big thing that people are saying about Oldham pubs at the minute.

“My company believes you can keep going, you can get through the majority of things. We’ve been through Covid, we’re still going through the cost of living crisis, and we’ve pushed through it, we’ve pulled out of the other end.

“We were going to have a refurb but we’re going to put a pause on that so that these Harry’s Bar customers who want to stay together in a venue where they’re going to feel welcome.”

Ms Keylock also hit headlines when she shaved her head in support of a staff member who had fallen ill in 2023, and to raise money for the charity supporting those suffering with Guillain-Barré syndrome.

However, now the time has come for the Bees Knees to have its much-needed refurb, meaning it will close after Sunday, March 31.

Revealing the plans on social media, the team said: "Unfortunately, we have to announce Bees Knees is to close after Easter weekend.

"But it's being replaced by Bees Knees."

After more than a decade of "fantastic years" in Oldham town centre, the pub said: "It's time we pimped up Oldham Bees Knees to our new style, which is being rolled out across the North of England".

The post continued: "We will continue to believe in Oldham and invest.

"Enjoy the Bees Buzz for the next few weeks until we close for a full refurbishment."

Bees Knees has been contacted for comment and information on when it might reopen again. 

If you have a story, I cover all things Oldham from food reviews and local business news to music and events, pubs, education, crime, property, health, community concerns and much more. Please email me at Olivia.bridge@newsquest.co.uk or send me a message on Twitter @Livbridge with your news.