THIS year, a "quick pint down the pub" is very different to what most of us knew before the coronavirus pandemic.

Restrictions and guidance in place to protect staff and visitors means that - at the moment - you can sit in a pub garden on a table of up to six or two different households.

But one pub in Hampshire has been unaffected by the restrictions - and you can find it in a Hythe care home.

The Carpathia Arms has been operating at Care UK’s Carpathia Grange care home, on Southampton Road, and pulling pints for residents throughout lockdown.

Current restrictions mean residents aren’t able to leave the home, so when they started missing their local’s atmosphere, team members at Carpathia Grange got busy bringing it to them.

The home now hosts regular events at the pub, which sees team members turn into bartenders and play music or put sports games on a big screen to recreate the real atmosphere of a pub.

Ann Spencer, a resident at the home, even said that she “loved calling last order at the bar”.

Pooja Dhoot, Home Manager at Carpathia Grange, said: “With every pub still not able to serve customers inside, we feel incredibly lucky to have our own Carpathia Arms here at the home fully open.

"Residents were missing their local and were keen to have a special space where they could enjoy a drink in the evening, so the team worked hard to bring the pub to life.

“For residents, the pub is associated with a lot of happy memories from their younger years, from going out with friends to pub quizzes to Sunday lunches.

"In addition to a great selection of drinks, the Carpathia Arms provides an opportunity for reminiscence for many of the residents too.

“Well done to the team for all their hard work – we’re really looking forward to our next pub night!”