When a historic Yorkshire pub went up for lease, there was an iconic collection of Christmas decorations that couldn’t be handed over. <br />The Black Rock, Wakefield has remained a popular watering hole for workers in the city centre who would pile in every evening and fill the small pub, huddling over their beloved pints. <br /><br />It was always quite a down-beat pub until its then landlord and custodians began acquiring a collection of decorations every Christmas. Over the years some stray bits of tinsel evolved into an array of plastic bells, colourful foil decorations and bags upon bags of tinsel. <br />The Black Rock regular and owner of a nearby bar Nathan Birkenshaw said: “When you think of Christmas in Wakefield, you think of a pint in The Black Rock surrounded by all those decorations. <br />“A collection curated over the course of twenty years by Shaun Salter, Matt Copeland, Marc Beachill, featuring all the tackiest tinsel you can imagine.” <br />Nathan and other regulars however “sorely missed” the tacky plastic fantastic decorations when the pub changed hands. The Black Rock donated the decorations to Wakefield Pride charity. <br />Nathan decided that his nearby bar The Golden Pineapple could be a worthy home for the decs which had remained in the charity’s closet. <br />“The festive decorations have been sorely missed, and after leaving The Black Rock in 2022, we thought they deserved a fitting new home not too far away”, he added. <br />“After making a small contribution to Wakefield Pride charity, and with some gentle arm-twisting, we became the custodians of Wakefield’s pride and joy – an absurd amount of 70s, 80s, and 90s Christmas decorations. <br />
