Jackie Murray

I am originally from Burnley but moved to London in 1986, relocating to Southampton just over two years ago when I took over the Robin Hood pub in Sholing.

While living in London, I managed betting shops for around 20 years and then moved over to manage post offices. I have three daughters and when my youngest was diagnosed with autism I took a few years off work to get her settled in the right school. My then husband was a chef for a pub in Marlow. When that pub was sold off, the new owner was looking for a manager. My husband told him “My wife will do it,” and that’s how I ended up in hospitality. That was eight years ago, and I’ve never looked back.

I have been in managerial positions since the age of 19 and it’s been difficult. Most of the time it was me doing the same job as my male counterpart, but he’d always be on a higher salary. When I joined the pub industry, I actually found that it’s sometimes better to be female and I’ve found no barriers to progression. I think a lot of this is also because over the years as a woman you become wiser and more confident, and this breaks down many of the barriers for females in the industry.

I took over the Robin Hood in November 2022 as a managed partner with Punch Pubs. The pub itself had a somewhat questionable reputation, and I was excited to see what we could do. It had been a live music venue for many years but when I took over food was the main focus. With my due diligence I quickly realised that this wasn’t working, and we needed to get music back in.

We now have entertainment Thursday to Sunday, including karaoke, DJs, live bands and Sunday afternoon singers. We also have a special karaoke once a month for an autistic adults’ group and host special SEN Santa visits at Christmas.

What I love most about the Robin Hood is that my customers are superb and they’re totally supportive of all my mad ideas. It’s a really friendly pub for local people that also welcomes newcomers. From when I took over to now, I’d like to think we have created a great place for all our customers to visit, even with families.

We have been chosen to be one of nine pubs in Southampton who are taking part in Pub Cultures – a project that explores the role of pubs in our cultural history. The idea is to match pubs with local artists to create art inspired by the unique identity of each pub and its patrons.

It’s really exciting to be part of this project – it’s a whole new experience for me. I think it’s great that pubs are being celebrated in this way, and it’s been so good to be able to get really involved in the selection process.

I recently went on a kind of speed dating event to meet all the local artists and be matched up with one of them to create a piece of art at the Robin Hood, and I have been very lucky to be matched with Joe Ross. Joe has spent time visiting the pub and talking to customers and we have decided on an outdoor mural. It’s been great to explore the history of the area and the pub with Joe and to see her ideas for a mural that reflects both our history and where we are today. I can’t wait to see the final piece.

I think working in hospitality was one of my best moves and it’s a great career for women. This industry is probably the least biased in terms of equal opportunities for men and women, and there are more and more women moving up the ranks.

My advice for any woman wanting to get into this industry would be that she will need confidence, a good sense of humour, an open mind and always remember a smile and manners cost nothing but are priceless in this line of work.