From the https://www.kentonline.co.uk By Jenni Horn, 1 December 2014.

The Flying Saucer pub in Hempstead Road, Gillingham, owned by the Spirit Pub Company, is creating five new jobs.

A pub is creating five new jobs after a £180,000 make-over.

The Flying Saucer, in Hempstead Road, Gillingham, will close temporarily from today (Monday) to begin an extensive refurbishment that will see it reopen on Friday, December 12.

Owned by the Spirit Pub Company, it promises a modern decor and some new signature pieces of furniture.

Flying Saucer pub in Hempstead Road.

The bar will be revamped, as will the menu, which will include wild boar burger, steak and ale pie and Korean spiced salad.

The pub is seeking to recruit five new full and part-time staff to work in the bar and in the kitchen.

From the https://www.msn.com Story by Sam Honey, 31 May 2024.

Sadness as Flying Saucer pub in Hempstead to close its doors for good.

The Flying Saucer will close in early June.

Bosses have confirmed a Greene King pub in Kent will close its doors for good next month. The Flying Saucer in Hempstead, Gillingham, will pull its last pints on Saturday, June 8.

Details on why it is shutting have not yet been given, but a spokesperson for the pub said the decision was made with "great regret". Found along Hempstead Road, the pub is notable for its sign which depicts a spacecraft.

Believed to have started life as a farm building, the site has also operated as an agriculture hall, shop and club before being turned into a boozer. It opened under the name Flying Saucer in 1951 and, in 2014, saw an extensive £180,000 makeover while still operated by the Spirit Pub Company, with steps made to modernise the décor and revamp the signage.

Then in 2015, Greene King absorbed Spirit in a £775 million deal to create “the largest managed pub company in the UK and a real force to be reckoned with”. The Flying Saucer is known for its live sports offering, lunch and dinner menus, array of drinks and its spacious outdoor beer garden.

Announcing the news of its closure, a Greene King spokesperson said: “Closing a pub is never an easy decision, so it is with great regret that we have decided to close the Flying Saucer in Gillingham and our last day of trading will be on Saturday, 8 June. Our focus will remain on supporting our team members at this time.”

The dog-friendly pub holds a TripAdvisor rating of four stars out of five, with past punters praising the “attentive staff” and the “fantastic food”. One reviewer wrote alongside their five-star rating: “Great service, brilliant food. Would definitely recommend this pub - warm and welcoming. Good value for money.”

News of the coming closure has been met with sadness from the local community. Reacting to the announcement, one punter said: “So very many memories made at the Flying Saucer - let’s hope someone will take it over and keep it going.”

Another added: “Oh my goodness. That's terrible news. Those poor staff.” Greene King also operates nearby pub the "Hungry Fox" near Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre, which is set to remain open as usual.

From the https://www.kentonline.co.uk By Nicola Jordan, 8 August 2024.

Order submitted to protect The Flying Saucer in Hempstead as community’s campaign to get the pub reopened gathers pace.

It’s been two months since last orders were called at a popular village pub.

But punters at The Flying Saucer in Hempstead have not given up their fight to save it just yet.

Save Our Pub - campaigners fighting to get The Flying Saucer in Hempstead reopened. Photo: Joshua Wood.

Indeed, the campaign to reopen the boozer they describe as “the hub of the community” has gathered momentum with hundreds signing a pledge to take it over and get the pints flowing once again.

The group has now applied to Medway Council to get a special protection order to prevent the hostelry being sold off to a property developer.

They are optimistic they will be granted what is known as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) largely because the pub, which has been serving locals since the 1950s, played an integral part in social wellbeing.

A feasibility questionnaire has been completed both online and at the village post office and chemist in which 98% expressed their preference for it staying as a pub, according to lead campaigner Bev Weir.

Many have offered their services, from practical repairs and building work to IT and accountancy skills, with the slogan “Let’s get the Saucer flying again”.

If granted the order it would mean the London-based owners would not be allowed to sell or develop the site for six months while a steering group compiles a proposal on how to buy it through grants, pledges and loans from shareholders.

Residents Bev and Jim Gilbourne, who is also the ward councillor, have been driving the campaign since the brewery Greene King announced the closure at the end of May.

They have been in email contact with the freeholder and have visited two other ACV pubs in the county, the "Harrow" at Stockbury and the "Plough" at Trottiscliffe, to see how it works and whether they can replicate the same in their village.

At the time of the pub’s closure, a spokesman for Greene King told KentOnline: “Closing a pub is never an easy decision, so it is with great regret that we have decided to close the "Flying Saucer" in Gillingham and our last day of trading will be Saturday, June 8.

“The property will be returned to the freeholder and our focus will remain on supporting our team members at this time.”

Bev, who has lived in Hempstead with husband John Weir of John Weir Funeral Directors for more than 40 years, said: “The pub is at the heart of the old village of Hempstead.

“It’s where the elderly get together, where people go to catch up and it’s left a big hole in their lives.

“We shall never get to the bottom of why it closed.

“It was always popular and we are told it was not losing money.

“We know it is not going to come cheap, but we are determined to fight this all the way.”

In the recent survey, it was felt the building in Hempstead Road needed modernisation, should expand its food menu and become more “family-orientated”.

Bev has turned to the Plunkett Foundation, a charity that offers free advice to community businesses for help and support on legal matters and how to successfully bid for funding.

Regular activities held at the pub included weekly quiz nights, a board game club and darts team competitions.

Quizmaster Tom Ball, a primary school teacher, on hearing about the shutdown said: “Everyone is gutted. For many, it’s the highlight of their week.

“We have formed a WhatsApp group and are keeping in touch.”