Licensee of X Factor winner's local pub praised for assisting singing career
The pub, an Enterprise Inns site co-run by Lisa Powley and her husband Mick, was a popular drinking spot for Haenow, and more importantly a venue for him to launch his singing career alongside his brother Alex.
The Kent pub featured in a short film shown as part of the ITV series’ final two programmes, aired on Saturday and Sunday (13/14 December), and showed Haenow performing a 'homecoming gig' in front of family, friends and regulars at the pub.
A post of the pub's website showing a photo of the singer pulling a pint with a Ben Haenow Westerham Brewery pump clip has scored nearly 100,000 hits. The beer, made by the brewery especially for the X Factor winner, features nine Kentish hops.
The former van driver's mini-show at The Swan saw him sing five songs in front of an invited audience of around 100 fans.
Ben tweeted afterwards: “YOU GUYS ARE INCREDIBLE!!!! I love you all!! You made my #homecoming the best day ever!!.”
Lisa Powley said: “Ben’s a local lad, and I know his mum, Roseanna. When we took on the pub, we thought it’d be good to get Ben and his brother along to sing.
“Since then, we’ve done all we can to help their careers, and I thought getting him along here ahead of the final would be a great idea. The X-factor producers got to hear about what we were doing, and said they’d like to come along and film it. “I’d like to think that it played a part in helping Ben win.”
Enterprise Regional Manager Andrew Ford said: “It’s typical of what Lisa gets up to in her efforts to promote the pub and help the local community. I went along to the filming and the atmosphere was fantastic. It’s all down to Lisa, who had the idea then made it happen.”
The Swan was one of 18 regional winners in the Enterprise Community Heroes Awards 2013. The annual awards recognise pubs that make an outstanding contribution to their community.
The news also comes as the Publican's Morning Advertiser has launched it's Make Some Noise campaign, which aims to support local music venues by calling for an agent of change principle to ensure those moving near to pubs have a responsibility to soundproof their homes.
