Licensee Nigel Smith runs the Fleece in Bretforton, Worcestershire, and hopes to break the World Record for the largest grouping of people with the same first name.
At ‘Nigel Night’, customers with the name will receive a free drink and enjoy “a Nigel-based playlist and entertainment”, according to the pub’s Facebook page.
Inspiration for the event came from research that showed the name to be in decline.
The event description stated: “With the name Nigel becoming extinct (no babies were named Nigel in the last National Statistics report, but let’s face it, that’s not too surprising!), we felt we ought to have a gathering of fellow Nigels – before it’s too late!”
Interest in the event has seen the pub make national headlines and, in a Facebook post, its team said it had heard from an incredible amount of attendees already.
“We've heard from Nigels from all over the world, all ages, Nigel cats, dogs and horses (still want to meet a Nigel the tortoise!) and we are looking forward to meeting so many Nigels on 28 September,” the social media stated.
Call for landlords
Pub staff are especially keen to see as many operators named Nigel attend the event as possible because the name appears to be a common one in the industry.
The pub would like to see The Morning Advertiser readers attend the event on Saturday 28 September from 7.30pm.
The National Trust-owned site was shortlisted for this year’s Great British Pub Awards in the Best Local category.
The current Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people with the same first name was reached in 2017 when more than 2,325 Ivans gathered in a town in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
