Southport Comedy Pub Crawls make hilarious return with 4 more great nights out to come
Photograph and report by Andrew Brown

THE Southport Comedy Pub Crawls have made a welcome return to the Town, with 70 people enjoying a mystery tour around the Town Centre, seeing a top comedian in each 1.

The 1st of 5 monthly pub crawls was organised by Big Comedy UK and funded by Sefton Council, to showcase Southport's rich and vibrant night time economy.

The event was hosted by Big Comedy UK Director Brendan Riley and saw pub crawlers enjoy seeing 4 stand up comedians in 4 different pubs and bars.

They started off at Southport Market before heading off together on a night out that left everyone smiling.

Further Southport Comedy Pub Crawls will take place on:- Wednesday nights on:- 28 January 2026, 25 February 2026, 25 March 2026, and 22 April 2026, with more details available on the Southport Market's website.

Brendan Riley said:- "It was a fantastic night! We had nearly 70 people with us enjoying the 1st comedy pub crawl, which is the 1st of 5! We started at Southport Market, which is such a superb meeting point. People can come in at any time they like before the pub crawl starts and enjoy some food from the traders they have here, or enjoy a couple of drinks as they meet their friends. We started at Southport Market with a hilarious show by Dave Twentyman. We then headed to the multi award winning Tap & Bottles in Cambridge Arcade, for a performance by Raul Kholi. Next we went to The Auld Dubliner Irish pub on Lord Street, where we saw Andy Roach. Then we strolled along Lord Street to the Southport Coaster, for our final show seeing Harry Stachini. What a fantastic night it was; really good fun and a superb way to enjoy a midweek night out in Southport. If you�d like to come and join us on the next one, it will be on:- Wednesday, 28 January 2026. It's great to see the Southport Pub Crawls coming back. They were such a popular feature of Southport Comedy Festival before the pandemic; so many people have been asking when they�re coming back! Sefton Council's Tourism team has now funded them to take place once a month in:- December 2025, January 2026, February 2026, March 2026, and April 2026. Each pub crawl starts at Southport Market and features 4 venues in all, with four fantastic comedians along the way. Each pub crawl features different venues, which you can discover along the way! Each tour will feature a different variety of venues; some big, some small, all various types. It�s a great way of giving a much needed boost to Southport's brillint night time economy and showing people just what this Town has to offer. It�s not just the night itself, when we fill a venue with 70 people, all buying drinks; it's all about the impact afterwards, highlighting bars and pubs to new people who may want to come back. I feature videos and images of the pub tours on our social media channels, raising more awareness of the venues that we visit. Tickets are only a fiver for 4 stand up comedians; it�s amazing value and a brilliant night out. Come and join us on the next 1!"

15 different Southport Town Centre venues are hosting the Southport Comedy Pub Crawl project, providing a much needed boost to hospitality revenue in the Town Centre during the winter period.

Cllr Paulette Lappin, Deputy Leader of Sefton Council and Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Employment and Skills, said:- "We know lots of people and businesses have been asking if the comedy crawls would return after their last run in 2019 so we are delighted to have been able to make sure they do! The crawls are a brilliant way of discovering what Southport Town Centre has to offer this winter and support our wonderful local businesses who need that extra boost during what is traditionally a slightly quieter period. It�s fair to say the demand for the crawl's return has been substantial, so I encourage people to secure their tickets quickly before they sell out!"

Tickets, along with more information and future dates, are available via:- SouthportMarket.Com.

CLA comments on rural mobile mast upgrades

THE CLA (Country Land and Business Association) has commented on a Government announcement, as over 100 mobile masts are upgraded across:- rural Wales, Scotland and England, delivering new 4G coverage from all mobile network operators for the 1st time.

This milestone was reached in the Government's Plan for Change to boost rural connectivity through the Shared Rural Network, helping communities get the mobile coverage they need.

The Shared Rural Network is a joint programme between the UK Government and the UK's major mobile network operators, including:- EE, Virgin Media O2 and Vodafone, Three to improve rural coverage across Britain.

Families will enjoy their most connected Christmas yet, tourists visiting for festive breaks will have better connectivity for their journeys, and emergency services will have enhanced coverage during the winter months.

From guest houses and holiday lets, to village halls and coffee shops, businesses across previously unconnected parts of the UK can now more reliably process contactless payments, take online bookings and stay in touch with customers during the festive period.

CLA President Gavin Lane said:- "Reliable mobile coverage is vital for rural economic growth, so we welcome the upgrading of masts. But many parts of the countryside remain in the digital wilderness, impacting businesses and communities, and more work needs to be done to close the urban rural connectivity divide. To achieve this, the relationship between site providers and operators must be based on cooperation and mutual understanding. The CLA supports the ambitions of the Shared Rural Network and will speak to any operator so all of rural Britain can benefit from the digital revolution."

The 100 masts are predicted to bring outdoor 4G signal coverage from all mobile networks to over 4,000 square kilometres of the UK.

Among the businesses now enjoying improved connectivity, an eco-friendly guest house in the Scottish Borders can now keep guests connected during Christmas breaks while they enjoy the exceptional dark-sky location, perfect for tracking Santa on Christmas Eve.

A village hall at the heart of a community in Northumberland has vital infrastructure keeping locals connected.

New coverage will also be available in 10 national parks across:- England, Scotland and Wales, including:- Eryri National Park, and the Lake District.

What are your thoughts on this news topic? Email our Newsroom at:- News24@SouthportReporter.Com or send us a message on:- Mastodon, Facebook, or Twitter. Please do let us know as we love to hear your views....

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Southport Comedy Pub Crawls make hilarious return with 4 more great nights out to come Photograph and report by Andrew Brown

CLA comments on rural mobile mast upgrades

Southport Comedy Pub Crawls make hilarious return with 4 more great nights out to come
Photograph and report by Andrew Brown