Singer Paul Heaton puts £60,000 behind the bar of UK pubs to mark 60th birthday: Singer Paul Heaton has put £60,000 behind the bar at pubs around the UK today (Monday, 9 May) to mark his 60th birthday. A total of 60 pubs were given the cash by the Beautiful South and Housemartins star so fans could have a drink on him. Explaining his kind gesture on Twitter, Heaton said: “To celebrate my 60th birthday (on Monday, 9 May) I’d originally intended to do another bicycle tour, visiting and performing at 60 pubs across the UK and Ireland. However, due to recording delays caused by the pandemic, l’ve had to shelve these plans for the time being. Instead, I’ve decided the next best way to celebrate this coming of age is to handpick 60 pubs across the UK & Ireland and put a given amount of money behind the bar of each one. Then, both regulars and yourselves can enjoy a birthday drink on me (until the money runs out, or the bar runs dry!). The hope is to bring people together on the day, while recognising that many folk who bought my records or showed me support over the years, could do with a wee party, as we come out of covid and hit potential financial struggles.” The 60 pubs are: Robinsons Bar – Great Victoria Street, Belfast; Eddie Murphys – Thomastown, Kilkenny; Peadar O’Donnells, Waterloo Street, Derry; The Punters Rest, Tipperary; The Sky on the Ground, Whitewell, Wexford; Courtney’s Bar, Killarney, County Kerry; Keohoes, Dublin; Tig Coili, The Latin Quarter, Galway; Bonners Corner Bar, Ballybofey, County Donegal; The Old Toll Bar, Paisley Road West, Glasgow; Nice n Sleazy, Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow; The Sheep Heid Inn, The Causeway, Edinburgh; Kay’s Bar, Jamaica Street, Edinburgh; Tanners Arms, Byker Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne; The Freetrade Inn, Lawrence Road, Newcastle upon Tyne; The Half Moon, Northgate, Darlington; The Black Bull, Main Street, Darvel; The Sportsmans Inn, Heads Lane, Carlisle; The Original Oak, Headingley, Leeds; The Flying Horse, Packer Street, Rochdale; The Britons Protection, Bridgewater Street, Manchester; Bowling Green, Chorlton-cum-Hardy; The Orion, Burton Road, Withington; The Railway Inn, Lapwing Lane, West Didsbury; Albert Wilsons, Wilmslow Road, Withington; The Dog & Partridge, Manchester Road, Warrington; Bird I’th Hand, Prescot Road, St Helens; The Saddle Inn, Dale Street, Liverpool; The Casa Bar, Hope Street, Liverpool; The Globe, Cases Street, Liverpool; The Coachmakers Arms, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent; The Bay Horse, Market Place, Market Weighton; Lord Nelson, Arundel Street, Sheffield; Riverside Kelham, Mowbray Street, Sheffield; The Morning Star, Greetwell Gate, Lincoln; Ye Olde Blue Bell, Market Place, Hull; The Whalebone, Wincolmlee, Hull; The Grafton, Grafton Street, Hull; The White Horse, Hutton Cranswick; Hatfield Main Pit Club, Stainforth, Doncaster; The Old Horse, London Road, Leicester; The Black Horse, Aylestone, Leicester; The Bulls Head, Cambridge Street, St Neots; Hardies, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales; Golden Fleece Inn, Market Square, Porthmadog; Rummer Tavern, Duke Street, Cardiff; Hare & Hounds, King’s Heath, Birmingham; Patrick Kavanagh, Trafalgar Road, Birmingham; The Red Hart, Bodham, Norfolk; The Eagle, Norfolk Street, King’s Lynn; The Duke of York, Woodbridge Road, Ipswich; The Stags Head, New Cavendish Street, London; The Coffee House Pub, Beak Street, London; The Glue Pot, Emlyn Square, Swindon; The Thunderbolt, Bath Road, Bristol; The Cricketers Inn, South Street, Dorking.

Birmingham-based hotel launches own Indian restaurant concept: Park Regis Birmingham – part of the 17-strong upscale accommodation brand that has locations in the UK, Middle East, India, Asia and Australia – has launched its own Indian restaurant. The hotel, based on Five Ways island, has opened the Indus restaurant, replacing its current 1565 restaurant but retaining its bar and terrace. Named after the Indus River that ran through the Asian sub-continent, the restaurant sees head chef Manish Patel bring his experience of working in five-star hotels to create a menu offering both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. Hotel manager Levi Bailey said: “Our restaurant celebrates the traditions, life and culture of India and its bounty of beautiful flavours, aromas and spices through our specially curated menus of magnificent dishes.” Birmingham is Park Regis’ only UK site. It has an 18th venue, in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, opening later this year.