Making the Fox friendlier
2000
Hilli said she wanted to make The Fox a more friendly venue. She started to organise entertainment, and won awards e.g. Best Lesbian Bar. The Fox started to attract a wider range of people, with the pub becoming more of a community venue, and less of a drinking hole. Now a variety of groups meet at the pub. Sunday afternoons sees a book group which alternates with a film group. A quiz night is held which is very popular. Hilli states that it is important that events such as these are held only occasionally so that people do not take them for granted. She feels that The Fox is now an active part of the gay community. It is safe and friendly. She went on to describe the web site which she designed and which is an important source of information for lesbians. Hilli emphasised that men have never been excluded from The Fox but that 90-95% of customers are women. Hilli went into more detail about the film and quiz nights. Films are shown on a big screen in the main bar and the members discuss what they have seen and also choose which film to see next. A very innovative idea is that the profits made from the quiz night go towards funding the women’s area at Birmingham Pride.
Contributed by: Hilli Rishworth