I’m so sorry to hear this. Such a warm, friendly character and a real champion of small pubs. RIP Ray and condolences to Fiona.
I’m so sorry to hear this. Such a warm, friendly character and a real champion of small pubs. RIP Ray and condolences to Fiona.
The Dragon then would have had Catherine now of the Plough working there with Richard who latterly had Little Ale Cart brewery.Originally Posted by sheffield hatter
The touching thing about Ray's review of September 2013 was that it shows he didn't just make friends with the people he met, but the dogs too. (As a dog avoider I can't believe I just wrote that.)
"One of the customers said I think that dog knows you, then we saw a Little Ale Cart handpump and put two and two together, it was Harvey from the Wellington Sheffield. The friendly manageress then explained that Harvey's owner had both pubs." (Richard split his week between the two pubs, driving beer and dog between the two in a van. It's amazing he had the time and energy to be so rude to so many of his customers.)
Harvey was pretty old when Ray met him, so I'm pretty sure he'll have been waiting for a few years at those pearly gates for Ray to turn up.
Come On You Hatters!
Hi everyone
Mrs Ale here. Just wanted to say thank you so much for sharing your lovely memories of Ray, and for your lovely comments about him. I can just imagine him reading them, he'd be laughing his head off and somewhat embarrassed. Reading them is a lovely comfort for me, he was such a special and unique person. I don't have to tell you how hard it is trying to come to terms with his loss, it's very tough.
I hope you all have a lovely day in Chesterfield tomorrow. This pub was a particular favourite of Ray's and it would have been hard to get him out of there! Rose & Crown as he loved Brampton ales. I know this pub is not part of your crawl, but Ray liked it when we visited in July to meet the RURAD crew. He didn't get to post an updated review, but you can see from his original review that he wasn't a Bryan Ferry fan The Royal Oak
Could someone also please have a cob or Pork Pie for Ray too (but not Will!!)
I do hope to join you all in the future when I'm feeling stronger, as I feel Ray would really like that.
Thank you again, your support is so appreciated
Nice one, Dave. To be fair, Ray's review of the Dragon was under a previous owner - 12 years ago. Probably still worth a visit though.
I wish Ray did get to post an updated review on the Dragon in Worcester, not a great experience on our last visit so it would have been interesting to read!
Last edited by Real Ale Ray; 06-11-2025 at 07:40.
'I only drink on two occasions, when I'm thirsty and when I'm not'
Brendan Behan
Nice to hear from you Fiona and look forward to seeing you on a future pub crawl somewhere.
"Everybody's got to believe in something. I believe I'll have another beer."
-W.C.Fields
I didn't include this one in the crawl, as it's only recently reopened, and the beer scores may not be reliable, but I did call in there a couple of weeks ago and it was absolutely rammed. Maybe anyone with the requisite stamina will pop in for a half and let us know if they enjoy it!
Come On You Hatters!
Remind me tomorrow and I'll do it as I'm likely still the youngest!!
Ditto, really nice to hear from you and will hopefully see you when you're feeling up to it.
WE ARE THE BREADMEN - UP THE BEES 
Hi Fiona,
We remembered you and Ray at several points on our crawl yesterday but none more so than in the Chesterfield Arms, when Neville purchased this pork pie to be shared by the group in Ray’s honour.
Work is the curse of the drinking Class - Oscar Wilde
Thank you all, that's lovely. It looks fabulous, Ray would definitely approve!
'I only drink on two occasions, when I'm thirsty and when I'm not'
Brendan Behan
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