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News Report Page 8 of 25
Publication Date:-
2025-07-11
 
News reports located on this page = 2.

Southport cafe launches pawfect afternoon tea; for dogs

A popular Southport café has unveiled a tasty afternoon tea; just for dogs! It's part of a paw-some start to life for Louise and Paul Heritage, who took over the Hoghton Lounge Bar in Southport Town Centre, on:- 29 March 2025. They have since kept everything that the venue has become famous for over the years, including:- a strong commitment to quality, service, and customer satisfaction.

They have also introduced some exciting new additions including:- a new Main Menu, a new Kids' Menu; and something that Southport's canines will go crazy for.

The VIP (Very Important Paws) Afternoon Tea and everything is in its very own box so you can treat your furry friends whenever you visit, or to grab as a takeaway for them to enjoy at home.

The box includes:-

  •  Bark Burgers.

  • Paw Star Martini.

  •  A pupcake.

  •  Woof bar.

There's plenty for humans to enjoy too at the Lounge, which is situated at:- 11c Hoghton Street, very close to the Chapel Street, within the Centre of the Town, and also in the:- 'office quarter' in the Hoghton Street area.

Hoghton Lounge Bar offers a bespoke outside catering service and is soon to be open for event hire.



Louise and Paul Heritage said:- "It has been a very busy 1st few weeks for us; we'd like to thank everyone so much for popping in! We have really enjoyed meeting all of our amazing customers; loyal regulars to the café, and new visitors alike! We are so grateful for the warm welcome we have received from everyone. Something we noticed when we took over was how delighted customers were that the staff would be staying! It has been very clear to us how highly everyone thinks of our incredible team, and we can definitely see how special they make your visits to us. As Southport locals ourselves, we enjoyed many visits to Hoghton Lounge Bar before we became the new owners. The delicious food, relaxing and welcoming atmosphere, coupled with the kind and helpful attitudes of the staff, is what drew us here. We both love meeting new people and having a good chat; as many of you have now discovered! If you haven't been in to see us yet, please pop by to say hi! We want Hoghton Lounge Bar to continue to be a firm favourite of you all. Whether you're coming in alone for some peace and quiet to enjoy a perfect cup of coffee, with friends to celebrate special occasions, or for a family outing (dogs are included), we can't wait to meet you. We have exciting plans, some of which we have been busy putting into place. This is very much a dog friendly venue so we were excited to launch our VIP (Very Important Paws) Afternoon Tea! This is a very dog friendly venue, which is really popular. Southport is a very dog friendly Town! We have dog treats that people can buy separately too along with dog drinks when they come in. We have iced pupcakes; bark bangers; paw star martinis; woof bars. Our dog menu is going down very well. Dogs are a big part of people's families. Owners don't want to have to always leave their dogs alone at home when they go out. Why should they miss out? If they can bring their dogs in here and have treats for them then great. This is such a relaxed space. Whether someone's coming in here with their dog, or with their children, or with friends, or on their own, we want everyone to feel welcome. We're keen for anyone who comes in with a book or a newspaper to sit down and feel at home. We welcome remote workers. Working from home can be great but sometimes it can get a little bit lonely and a change of scenery can be perfect for a little pick me up. We have some tables with plug sockets and we offer free wifi for all our customers. We are in the business sector in Southport, and people often call in with their laptops. I worked for Living Well Sefton before leaving in February, and then Paul and I have worked towards taking over here. A big part of my job there involved chatting with people and being friendly. We have a couple of big tables, so if anyone wants to come in with a reading group, or a knit and natter group, then come in and say hello. We are trying to make this a real hub of the community. Paul and I wanted to do something new and take on a new adventure, and we're so glad we have. I always wanted to run a coffee shop when I was younger! The Hoghton Lounge Bar has become an important part of the local community and we want it to remain that way. It has been fabulous to see so many regulars coming in; and it's been lovely seeing lots of new faces too."

The menus have all been updated; popular favourites remain with some tasty new additions. Louise and Paul said:- "It is still early days, but we are keen to be really proactive and respond to what our customers want. We have just launched our new kids menu. There's a really good choice for children, at any time of day. We have our breakfasts, our light bites; and kids love our pancakes! We also have mains such as pizza, pasta and sandwiches. They can also enjoy some really fun drinks such as mini milkshakes with flavours such as chocolate, strawberry or banana, while our special milkshake flavours include Nutella, Kinder or Oreo. If they prefer hot drinks, they can go for babychino, mini hot chocolate or Nutella hot chocolate. It follows the launch of the new Main Menu in February, which also offers plenty of delicious choices. It has dishes such as our famous brunches:- Bacon Benedict; Eggs Royale; Mushroom Benedict; soup of the day; Welsh Rarebit; hot and cold sandwiches; pancakes; salads; hot and cold drinks. Our chefs Nick and Jason have the freedom to come up with specials. They've been brilliant. Hoghton Lounge Bar is licensed so as well as:- hot and cold drinks and things like smoothies, you can also have something like a wine, a beer or a cider with your lunch. Our afternoon teas are very popular. That is something we really wanted to carry on. We are now offering doorstep delivery afternoon teas, for people at home or at work. They're perfect for anyone unable to visit us at Hoghton Lounge or who likes the idea of a gorgeous treat delivered to their doorstep to enjoy in the comfort of your own home. We offer this for delivery, which we do up until 4.30pm Monday Saturday and up until 3.30pm Sundays. We need at least 48 hours notice for our afternoon teas as we make them fresh. We just want people to know we are here! We are busy making small improvements all the time and want to make Hoghton Lounge Bar a well-established venue."


Labour's Welfare Bill is a Missed Opportunity; Conservatives Will Make Welfare Work

WITH a vote in Parliament on Labour's Welfare Bill looming, along with a potentially huge rebellion by well over 100 Labour MP's, Conservatives in Southport are calling the bill a missed opportunity for genuine change in welfare spending and the system as a whole.

Mike Prendergast, Spokesperson for Southport Conservatives said:- "Since the pandemic, welfare spending has spiralled out of control. On the basis of the figures available we appear to have become sicker as a nation with more people than ever out of work on long term benefits. We aren't sicker as a nation and what is clear is that the welfare system needs genuine and meaningful reform. The Office for Budget Responsibility now forecasts that spending on health and disability benefits will hit nearly £100 billion a year by the end of the decade. Even with Labour's proposed changes that will reach nearly £98 billion. That is almost 1 in every 4 pounds of income tax; more than the entire defence budget. This level of spending is not sustainable, and it threatens our ability to invest in jobs, public services and national security. The Conservatives went into the last election with a clear, costed plan to save £12 billion a year from the welfare bill while supporting people back into work. We proposed meaningful reforms to assessments, improved support for those who can work, and tougher sanctions for those who can work but choose not to. Labour, in contrast, entered Government with no plan. Their rushed and ill-thought-out Bill shows it. They ran an election campaign without any plan to tackle the ballooning welfare budget. Even their own forecasts suggest 200,000 more people; including:- 50,000 children; could be pushed into absolute poverty, while PIP case numbers are still set to rise by almost a quarter. Worse still, Labour can't even say whether their plans will help a single extra person into work. Unemployment is now at its highest level in 4 years. The number of unemployed people has risen by 12% since Labour took office; yet their flagship welfare reforms do nothing to support job creation. It is not compassionate or caring to trap those who could work in a system of state dependency. It's right that we have a system that does provide support for those who simply cannot work but we can't continue to pay people who could work. Every day, thousands of people across Southport get up early and go out to work to support themselves and their families. It's not fair on those people, who pay their taxes, to see their money go into a system that isn't working when they are. Our current Labour MP looks like he'll be rebelling against the Government. Yet on winter fuel cuts for around 20,500 Southport pensioners, increases in National Insurance for local businesses and the Family Farm Tax that will affect many farmers in the Northern Parishes, he is happy to support measures that harm his own constituents. The Conservative approach is clear: we will reduce the size of the state, rein in the welfare bill, and get people back into work. Labour's approach is unfair on taxpayers, damaging to claimants, and completely unsustainable. If Labour produce serious proposals to reform and reduce welfare spending, get people off benefits and back into work and commit to not raising taxes at the Budget, then Conservatives in Parliament have already committed to supporting the Government but only if they are serious about meaningful change."

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