Orb Micropub Darlington celebrates fifth birthday with themed nights

The Orb Micropub on Coniscliffe Road opened its doors in December 2017 and has since built a great reputation for craft beers and for being one of Darlington’s smallest and friendliest pubs.

All this week there have been themed days including a sold-out whiskey-tasting event and a pop-up bar at the back of the pub selling beers supplied by Full Circle Brewery in Newcastle.

For nearly three of the five years since trading began at the Orb, Covid has hung over the hospitality industry like a dark cloud, so The Northern Echo wanted to know how this has impacted the pub.

The Orb on Coniscliffe Road in Darlington is celebrating five years of trading (Image: STUART BOULTON)

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Daryl Clugh, who runs the Orb, said: “There have been ups and downs since we opened five years ago, obviously the pandemic had an effect, but luckily we’ve got some really loyal customers who came back to us (after lockdowns) so we’re really thankful for that.

“We are definitely a community pub, we’ve got customers who have become genuine friends of purs and their support has been brilliant. You can't have a pub without customers.

“With the cost-of-living a lot of people aren’t going out and spending money on nights out like they once were so I think it’s more important to have a good community atmosphere.”

During the height of the pandemic, while all hospitality venues were closed, the team at the Orb organised online quiz nights so that their customers could still get together and have a laugh, even it was virtually.

Daryl Clugh of the Orb (Image: Stuart Boulton)

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The pub prides itself on being dog-friendly and so it’s a popular venue for dog-owners and as part of the fifth birthday celebrations, official Orb merchandise is on sale including ‘Dogs of Orb’ 2023 calendars, Orb t-shirts, and pin badges.

On Thursday night (December 8) String Edition performed some tunes for a receptive audience at the pub.

Daryl continued: “The best thing about running the pub is the fun, it’s definitely better than a ‘proper job!’”

As so many pubs, restaurants and hotels have sadly shut up shop due to energy price increases and the pandemic, it’s great news for Darlington that community-minded venues are still going strong.

The 'community pub' has been a hit with locals since it opened in 2017 (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Themed nights and live music have made the pub a big hit over the years (Image: Stuart Boulton)

Read next:

• Full list of routes to see Santa & his sleigh in Darlington throughout December
• 'We always aim to help local causes': Group on how Santa's sleigh helps the needy
• The Northern Echo launches 'Put in a Pound' campaign to fight poverty this Christmas

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