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Wetherspoons superfan on mission to visit every pub despite being teetotal

Paul Bardill of Derby planning his next trip at his favourite 'Spoons out of the 350 he has visited so far, The Red Lion at Ripley, Derbyshire.
Mr Bardill planning his next trip over some soup and cola (Picture: Paul ‘Spike’ Reddington)

A teetotaller has been to nearly half of all Wetherspoons and not had a single pint.

Paul Bardill, 33, is on a lone mission to visit every ‘Spoons in the country and ticked off a dozen in a single day last year.

Most unusually for a pub superfan, he doesn’t drink alcohol.

Instead, he usually opts for a Pepsi, or sometimes a hot chocolate if it’s a chilly day.

The Midlands Railway administrator from Derby loves Spoons because ‘no one is judging you for being on your own’.

As of this week he’s been to 373 of the chain’s 870 UK pubs after embarking on the mission in 2014.

Paul’s abstinence from booze came in handy as he set out on an epic cross-county tour in 2020.

Paul Bardill of Derby at his favourite 'Spoons out of the 350 he has visited so far, The Red Lion at Ripley, Derbyshire.
The enthusiast outside The Red Lion at Ripley in his home county of Derbyshire (Picture: Paul ‘Spike’ Reddington)
A barmaid pulls a pint of Guiness inside the Moon Under Water pub, operated by JD Wetherspoons Plc, in London, U.K., on Monday, May 17, 2021. England progresses to its third step in easing lockdown restrictions as part of its roadmap to recovery, loosening rules for both outdoor and indoor gatherings. Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images
No pints for Paul (Picture: Bloomberg)

It began with a stop at a pub in his home county of Derbyshire, before he drove to ones in Birmingham, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Som­erset, Dorset and Hampshire.

Last year, despite pubs closed for nearly half of it due to Covid-19, Paul managed to visit 100.

His favourite is The Picture House in Stafford, a converted cinema.

Chairman of Wetherspoons pub chain, Tim Martin is seen during an interview in London on June 14, 2016. At popular British pub chain Wetherspoon, the EU referendum debate is hard to avoid -- it's in the magazine given out to customers, on the company website and even on special anti-EU beer mats. / AFP / BEN STANSALL / TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY DARIO THUBURN (Photo credit should read BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images)
Over the summer the Brexiteer Spoons boss Tim Martin called for the UK to let more EU residents come to the country amid staff shortages (Picture: AFP)

Speaking about the Spoons appeal, he told The Sun: Some of the buildings are often interesting too, like old theatres and police stations.

‘Wetherspoons has taken many which might have been demolished.’

A spokesperson for the chain said: ‘He is one of an elite group of enthusiasts that enjoy travelling across the UK to visit as many Wetherspoon pubs as possible.’

MORE : Beer shortages at Wetherspoons after Brexit and Covid hit supply chains

MORE : Pro-Brexit Wetherspoon boss calls for more EU migration after UK restaurants and bars face staff shortages

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