POKER IN THE PUB

Wednesday the 31st January has been earmarked for a night of poker in what we hope will be the start of a regular poker league at Oddfellows. Poker is the craze that is sweeping the television schedules and has already established itself as a the first 'new' pub game to emerge for a number of years. Oddfellows will, however, be the first pub in North Tyneside to give poker a regular night. Players play for free (gambling on poker is currently illegal in pubs) and stand to win either points or prizes. Watch this space for further details.

20/12/06

NEW YEAR 2007

Once again Oddfellows is holding a private party to see in the new year. Entrance will be the usual £5.00 or a donation to the buffet and will include a late bar, buffet, firework display and a night amonst friends. Tickets are strictly limited on a first come, first served basis. Anyone interested should enquire at the bar.

20/12/06

RETURN OF THE BROTH

Winter is definately now upon us so for the fourth year running Oddies will be providing free souep for its patrons. The ham and vegetable broth is made freshly almost every day and comes with a supply of buns to accompany it. This service will run right throgh the winter months until the weather improves in the spring time.

20/12/06

LADIES CHRISTMAS SHOPPING NIGHT

The 29th November saw Oddfellows team up with Munero gift shop to provide a night of discounted christmas shopping primarily aimed at our ladie customers. Those in attendance all recieved a free glass of wine as well as a few bargains. The night was a big success so watch this space for similar nights in the future.

20/12/06

GREAT NORTH RUN

Oddfellows very own Graeme and Janes' brother Paul completed the Great North Run for the second time in three years on 1st October. Both recorded improved times on their previous effort which isn't too bad with next to no training but more importantly raised overv £850.00 between them for the Stroke Association.

18/10/06

MORE DARTS SUCCESS

Both Oddfellows A and B teams finished off a successful season by coming first in their respective leagues. This means that the B team will join the A team in the North Shields Tuesday Night Mens A League from next season. Before then then is the small matter of the Champion of Champions contest which is scheduled to take place on Tuesday 31st October at Oddfellows. The A team also won the 4-a-sides, beating the B team in the semis, and Mark Stevenson won the Singles Tournament whilst Micky Armstrong picked up the most singles wins in the B League!

18/10/06

WELCOME TO THE ROBINS

August saw North Shields Football Club kick off their new season in the Arngrove Northern League and for the first time the teams, match officials and club officials will be coming back to Oddfellows for refreshments after all Saturday home games. Supporters and friends are more than welcome to mingle with the teams and there is a buffet provided to replenish flagging energy levels.Oddfellows would like to take this opportunity to wish the team luck for the rest of the campaign and also to implore all football fans to get along to Ralph Gardener Park and support their home town Football team. You can also catch up with all of the latest Robins news by visiting their website at;- www.northshieldsfc.co.uk

18/10/06

BEATON BEATEN

Former darts world champion Steve "Magnum" Beaton came to visit Oddfellows on Saturday 26th August to take on local challengers. Steve agreed to take on a number of players throughout the evening and of the 14 who competed the only one to beat Beaton was Oddfellows owner Graeme Oswald, although another couple of players came close. Oddfellows cemented its reputation as the North Easts number one darts pub when current world number one Colin "Jaws" Lloyd came in to watch the evening and was flanked by fellow pros Graeme "Fish" Stoddart and Pete "Spider" Allen. Also present were Shy MC Phil Jones and Sky caller Russ "The Voice" Bray.

18/10/06

BEER TASTING TOTAL

The beer tasting night was a resouding success and the total raised for the Stroke Association was over £550. Look out for next years event which is sure to become an annual event.

18/10/06

BARBEQUE BAR

Saturday June 10th sees the beginning of Oddies Summer Barbeque Nights where customers can sample freshly cooked barby delightsfree of charge. That's right - we are giving away delicius scran throghout what remains of the glorious British summer on saturday evenings and the first date coincides with that of England's first world cup match against Paraguay. We have hired a chef for future saturdays and he will be cooking food to order in the beer garden (weather permitting - he will move to the kitchen otherwise). All hungry horaces need to do is firstly buy a drink to qualify as a customer, then order your barbeque food which will be cooked to order. Barbies start at 7pm and last orders will be at 8.55pm.

6/6/6

Oddies first annual pub crawl will take place on Saturday 17th June. The night will consist of visiting 16 pubs and consuming one half in each. All entrants have paid £35.00 and in return get all of their drinks on the night (17 in total, all bought by a bar runner who will be slightly in advance of the main group to save anyone having to queue), a specially commissioned T-shirt and any change left will go in to the charity pot. Entrants will asked to collect sponsors and buckets will also be carried on the night with all proceeds going to the Stroke Association. Pubs that will be visited are;-

Coburg
Albert
Tap and Spile
Oddfellows
Queens
Olde Hundred
Albion (Top House)
Royal Arms (Charlie Robsons)
Neville
Stanley
Colin Campbell
Fiddlers
Garricks Head
Wooden Doll (Top Doll)
Colonel Linskill
Bell and Bucket
Oddfellows...again

Anyone wishing to take part in the marathon night out should contact Graeme at the Bar as soon as possible. Places are unlimited but T-shirts are!

6/6/6

Especially for this years World Cup Oddfellows have decided to give away a few pints to help our customers support the boys. Whilst england are playing every drink purchased entitles the buyer to a free ticket to be drawn from a hat. On these tickets is printed a number of possible things including England's first goal scorer, the minute a goal is scored, number of England yellow cards....etc...and should you draw out a winner then a pint (£2.00 drink token) will automatically be yours. Good luck to England and we at Oddfellows hope that you all have as much fun watching the World Cup as we hope to have serving you during it.

6/6/6

Despite not having his Pro-Licence the authorities have accepted that Oddfellows' very own Graeme is indeed the best man to take over the reigns at Oddfellows F.C.. Many thanks to Mark Long (Gaffer) who after donkey's years of running the show has decided to call it a day. The new regime kicks off with training (an ugly word which, as far as we are concerned, means playing football) on Wednesday 14th June at 8pm at Whitley Bay High School hall and will continue at the same time every Wednesday from then on. There has also been a team meeting called for in the pub after training on 21st June. It is imperative that all players who are interested in playing this season attend this meeting! On the subject of new players;- If anyone fancies a go in the forthcoming season they should contact Graeme at the Pub on 2574288. Oddfellows F.C. play in the Newcastle Central Sunday Afternoon League and kick offs are 2pm

6/6/6

Once again Oddfellows has representatives running in the Great North Run this year to raise money for the Stroke Association. This will be the third year that the pub has been represented and this time it is the turn of Graeme and Paul (Jane's brother) to be the stupid ones taking part. The flat footed pair previously completed the 13+ mile course back in 2004 but this time some training may actually be needed to get them around. Anyone who can spare a few coppers to sponsor the daft duo would be hugely appreciated and should speak to the bar directly.

6/6/6

Many of you may have seen in the local press that 3rd June saw Peter and Crissy Manley giving up their time and visiting Oddfellows to provide some top quality darts entertainment in aid of the Stroke Association. Both took on challengers not only at Oddies but also the Northumberland Arms, the Cannon and Willington Club before returning to Oddfellows to draw the raffle. Special mentions must go to Eddy Cox for helping to organise the evening. The Village Hotel at Silverlink - for looking after Peter and Crissy, Astryan Ltd and IDC Ltd - for donating not insubstantial cash sums and Le Creuset and Eastcoast Taxis amongst others for donating prizes. On the night the challengers with the highest averages received£100.00 each and the runners up £50.00. Well done to Margaret Everett and Kelly Bentley for the ladies. Of the men's challengers there was, almost unbelievably, a tie so Nev Pratt of Oddfellows 'A' darts team and Sid Smith from Willington Club shared £75.00 each. Also well done to Ged duffy who attained the highest score in the 60 second darts challenge. After it was all over the sum of £1,381.80 had been raised for the Stroke Association.

5/5/6

Oddfellows inaugural beer festival was held in Early may and was a runaway success. Thanks must go to to Alan and linda Stobbs who not only helped organise the event but also gave up their own time to staff it. Honourable mentions must also go to Mordue Brewery who not only supplied a special brewery mix for the festival but also loaned us the bar, Tyneside and Northumberland Camra who loaned us some beer engines and Dick Attlee who helped to put them all together. Also Boggatt Hole Clough who supplied most of the beer. Over the course of the festival 16 extra casks were on sale to boost the already impressive 10 bottle conditioned beers and the usual three cask handpulls. That resulted in 29 real ales being sold at once - quite an achievement for a pub the size of Oddfellows! Many of the beers were new brews to keep the 'tickers' happy but everyone who visited us, and there were lots of new faces, seemed to have a good time and created a fantastic convivial atmosphere. Plans are already afoot for our second beer festival which should hopefully take place over either the last or second last weekend of April 2007. Watch this space for details.

10/4/06

BEER FESTIVAL

Good news for all aficionados of top quality cask ale. Oddfellows will be staging its first beer festival in May. An impressive 16 extra beers will be available, ten on gravity and six on tap, as well as the three usual beers on hand-pull. Most will be brews rarely seen in this part of the world, with some specially brewed ales and a few brand new beers making their first appearance. When you consider that we always stock up to ten bottle-conditioned beers, this means that a truly amazing 29 real ales will be on sale over the May weekend. We are aiming to keep beers within a very competitive pricing structure when the festival opens at 7pm on Thursday 4th May. If there is any beer left to be sold off this will happen on the evening of Sunday 7th May when the festival closes. We hope to make this an annual event but this depends on you, so please tell all of your friends. Throughout the festival we will be raising money for charity with proceeds split between the Stroke Association and the Great North Air Ambulance.

26/02/06

WINE LIST

We are proud to be able to introduce to our customers what we believe to be the best selection of wine in all of North Shields many hostelries (and probably far beyond!). Our new wine list consists of 31, that’s right 31, fine wines and incorporates all of the main grape varieties from most of the main wine producing nations, both old and new world. Despite such an all-encompassing range, prices have been kept competitive. Bottles begin at £7.70 for Roberts Rock through to £14.49 for a sparkling brut. Roberts Rock, both red and white, may also be bought by the glass.When you consider that our cask conditioned beer has earned the pub an entry in CAMRA’s 2006 Good Beer Guide, that we also stock a unique bottle conditioned range and a substantial collection of malts, Oddfellows really is the place to drink if you appreciate quality and choice.

19/02/06

MANLEY RETURNS FOR CHARITY

Once again the ever popular World Number 5, Peter Manley has agreed to give his time to appear in a charity fundraising evening in aid of the Stroke Association. This will be the third year that this event has taken place and everyone who has witnessed the previous nights’ will testify to what fabulous occasions they are. Peters wife, Chrissy, also hopes to visit again but has been suffering a back complaint recently so must wait a while before deciding. Watch this space for news. Anyone wanting to take on Peter can either book their place with a £25 donation or by entering one (or even all) of the four open competitions taking place on Wednesdays 22nd and 29th March and 17th and 24th May.The big night is taking place on Sunday 4th June. Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor, current World No. 2, thirteen times and current World Champion, and probably the best player that’s ever lived, has also agreed to a similar fundraising event but dates and format are still to be confirmed. In the event of challengers being required the same open competitions will be used to decide who faces the champ. Anyone who can help with donations, ticket sales, prizes, time, venues, etc; please contact Graeme on 257 4288.

2006 GOOD BEER GUIDE - WE ARE IN IT

September saw the release of CAMRA's 2006 Good Beer Guide, Britain's biggest, best and most respected guide to not only cask beer but also the pubs that sell it in the best possible condition. Having only introduced the two cask lines two and a half years ago to be included in our second good beer guide is a fantastic achievement for such a small pub and we are justifiably proud and excited to be one of only five North Shields pubs to get a mention. At the end of the day it all comes down to the quality of the beer on sale on a consistent basis. Oddfellows currently sells Jarrow Brewery's Jarrow Bitter (3.8%), Hadrian and Border Brewery's Gladiator (3.8%) and Greene King's Abbot Ale (5.0%). Also on sale is range of bottle conditioned beers (real ale in a bottle) meaning that Oddfellows has more real ale on sale consistently than any of it's larger local competitors (and without reducing the quality).

27/09/05

FOOTBALL TEAMS WANTED

Oddfellows currently boasts a Sunday afternoon football team and a Saturday Afternoon team but would be more than interested in supporting more teams, especially if they play at other times such as Sunday mornings. In return for significant patronage, that any team should bring, the pub can significantly help with the teams running costs. If anyone is interested please contact Graeme on 257 4288 or e-mail info@oddfellowspub.co.uk

BEER DRAW RETURNS

We are pleased to announce the return of the Friday night beer draw, which is now being run by Oddfellows Darts teams. Tickets are on sale behind the bar throughout the week for £1 each. Prizes have been increased to:

First place - 10 drink tokens (worth £2 each)
Second place - 6 drink tokens
Third place - 4 drink tokens

Winning tickets will be drawn at approximately 10.30pm on a Friday night and can be claimed throughout the following week. Any unclaimed prizes will be added onto a monthly Super Beer Draw!

GREAT NORTH RUN HEROS

Congratulations go out to Peter, Margy and Senga who all ran the Great North Run recently. The threesome all ran in aid of the Stroke Association and between them raised in excess of £1,200.00, although further pledged donations are still coming in. A special mention must go to Peter who completed the course in avery impressive 1 hour and 35 minutes.

27/09/05

WELCOME TO R.V.I. F.C.

Following an appeal for teams last month everyone at Oddfellows would like to welcome our new Saturday afternoon football team, Newcastle R.V.I. F.C., who play their home games at Formica on the Coast Road. Graeme (no - not the same one) and the rest of the boys are a welcome addition on Saturday afternoons in the bar and we hope that they will enjoy themselves whilst they are here. Good luck for the rest of the season.

27/09/05

POWER CUT IS ONLY TEMPORARY

It is with great regret that we have to announce the postponement of the Phil 'The Power' Taylor charity evening. It was hoped that Phil would be joining us in early October to raise money for the Stroke Association but due to his hectic schedule he was unable to commit his services in time to make the night viable. Phil is, however, still going to make an appearance, although due to the manner in which the darts calendar operates the exact timing looks like being rather hard to predict!- watch this space for details!

27/09/05

TASTEBUD TREAT

A big welcome to Albion road's newest concern - "Tastebuds". Jaquie and Jason's latest sandwich shop is now open and trading just three doors along from Oddfellows and having sampled their wares comes highly recommended. Anyone who fancies a sarnie, salad or jacket potato is more than welcome to eat it in Oddfellows accompanied by a pint.

27/09/05

WEDDING BELLS

For those that don't already know Graeme and Jane tied the knot in June. On a balmy sunny Saturday they married in St. Mary's, Norton (land of smog) before enjoying a marvelous reception at the home of football, St James' Park. Photos to follow.

22/07/05

BEER GARDEN OPENS

After months of hard work North shields latest amenity opened officially on Tuesday 21st June when Jackie Ross of HSBC bank did the honors. Many thanks must go to business banker, Jackie, who has helped the pub time and time again whether in the form of helping with the charity work or financing the new beer garden. As part of the opening ceremony the latest cheque was presented as of Oddfellows ongoing charity work for the Stroke Association. The beer garden is situated at the rear of Oddfellows and enjoys a southerly aspect, which results in it being a lovely sun trap. Visitors can enjoy outdoor versions of 'jenga' and 'connect4' or just relax amid the plants and shrubs which are just beginning to bed in. And if it gets chilly give us a shout and we'll switch on the heaters situated in the garden. The completed beer garden gives Oddfellows the option of hiring space out to the public. Anyone considering hiring out the beer garden for any type of function should contact Graeme on 257 4288

22/06/05

MANLEY NIGHT SUCCESS

Once again a quality night of darting entertainment was provided by Peter "One Dart" Manley and his new wife, Chrissy "Two Dart". The final total is unknown at present but is definitely in excess of the £1000.00 mark. Huge thanks must go to all concerned but especially Eddy Cox for organising the darts side almost single handedly, participating venues, The Cannon and the Northumberland Arms and all who contributed to the night including Menzies hotel, Foxhunters Taxis, Newcastle Breweries, Jarrow brewery, Sky and all the other professional darts players who helped out. Watch this space for a final total and details of future visits from the darts fraternity.

29/3/5

REAL ALE IN A BOTTLE COMES TO ODDIES

This month sees the introduction of Oddfellows' bottle conditioned range. It is something that we are quite excited about as the ales on offer represent not only the best of the best in this medium but also some more rare local brews. They are also something of a niche, the next nearest pub we know of selling this kind of produce is somewhere in County Durham. For more information about what bottle conditioned means, the bottle conditioned menu, tasting notes and basic instructions on how to pour them follow the beer link.

7/2/5

"BIG" CLIFF LAZARENKO SIGNS FOR ODDIES

Hot on the heels of the recent signing of Phil “The Power” Taylor, last night Oddfellows announced the signing of twice British Open winner “Big” Cliff Lazarenko.

Cliff, currently ranked 32nd in the World, dropped into the North Shields local on Tuesday night (7th December) to put pen to paper and also help in the pubs quest to raise money for the Stroke Association.  Cliff was more than happy to play a whole host of regulars, including nearly every member from the pub’s A and B team for £5 a game.

In his bid to sign the best darts team in the world Oddfellows owner Graeme Oswald said “Big Cliff is one of the legendary figures in the game of darts.  He is the epitome of the dedicated and passionate darts player and I am proud to have him as part of our team.”

Bar Owner Graeme said “It started out as a bit of a challenge with someone offering us £100 for every World Ranked darts player we could sign.  It has become a real mission now and the support we are receiving from the world of darts is fantastic.”

13/12/2004

PHIL "THE POWER" TAYLOR VISITS ODDIES

Eleven times World Champion Phil “The Power” Taylor made an impromptu visit to Oddfellows Pub in North Shields today as owner Graeme Oswald celebrated signing one of the best darts teams in history!

Taylor put pen to paper and signed for Oddfellows Darts Team who compete in the North Shields East End Men’s Darts League.  To date one of the strongest teams ever assembled in the world has been established at Oddfellows for the coming season and, as well as the Power, will include a host of players from the World Top 32 featuring:

• John “Darth Maple” Part, ranked World No 4
• Roland “The Tripod” Scholten, ranked World no 5
• Keith “Milky Bar Kid” Dellar, the youngest ever World Champion.
• The legend that is John Lowe, still in the top 32 to this day after being the first player to record a 9 dart game on television in 1984.

Many other players have pledged their support to Oddfellows team and it is highly likely that there will be some more well-known darts faces in Oddfellows during the coming weeks.  Taylor donated two of his own shirts, a set of his famous darts and a copy of his book, all personally signed, which will be raffled after Christmas with all money raised going to the Stroke Association.

23/11/04

DEMOLITION??!

Contrary to recent newspaper reports (News Guardian) Oddfellows is NOT about to be demolished. Where they got this story from is, quite frankly, anybody's guess. There are however some exciting plans afoot which will hopefully come to fruition in the Spring so watch this space for details.

06/10/04

GREAT NORTH RUN

Sunday 26th September saw Graeme taking part in the 'Great North Run' in aid of the Stroke Association. Despite suffering from a slight cold and carrying a few extra pounds due to a distinct lack of training the course was duly completed in a steady two hours and twenty four minutes. Thanks to the generosity of Oddfellows regulars a sum exceeding £671 has been raised. Graeme reckons that he should be walking again by Christmas!! Anyone who would like to make a donation can either give it directly to Graeme at the pub or contact the Stroke association through their link on this page.

29/09/04

FAREWELL LIAM

After one years service Tuesday 28th is to be Liam's final shift at Oddfellows before he moves on to pastures new. Graeme and Jane are sure that everyone connected with the pub would join them in wishing him well in whatever he turns his hand to. Watch this space for news of his replacement.

24/09/04

2005 GOOD BEER GUIDE - WE ARE IN IT

Friday 17th September saw the release of CAMRA's 2005 Good Beer Guide, Britain's biggest, best and most respected guide to not only cask beer but also the pubs that sell it in the best possible condition. Having only introduced the two cask lines eighteen months ago to be included in the good beer guide is a fantastic achievement for such a small pub and we are justifiably proud and excited to be one of only three North Shields pubs to get a mention. At the end of the day it all comes down to the quality of the beer on sale on a consistent basis. Oddfellows currently sells Jarrow Brewery's Jarrow Bitter (3.8%) and Hadrian and Border Brewery's Gladiator (3.8%) however should the increase in demand continue then there are plans to introduce a third handpull hopefully in the spring

18/09/04

SATURDAY TEASER

Saturday afternoon sees the introduction of a free to enter, 'silent' teaser quiz, where a gallon of beer(or drinks to the same value) could be yours. Question sheets will be available behind the bar from 3pm and unlike most other quizzes we don't care how you get the answers. You can bring along your Encyclopedia Britannica or beg, borrow or bribe to get the answers if you so wish. Whoever has accrued the most correct answers when the sheets are returned at 5.30pm wins the gallon, providing that they are there to collect it. See you on Saturday. Please note that the Saturday teaser quiz will not take place when there is live football scheduled for a Saturday.

10/08/04

The latest lottery bingo competition was won on Saturday 23rd September with one lucky winner scooping the £316.00 prize. The lucky player was Mick Jack. The new game will start on Saturday 30th September and any new players will be more than welcome. All money collected is paid out so as £1 per week bet it is harder to find any better value. A word of warning - Not so long yet another unfortunate player could have won a sizeable jackpot but had forgotten to pay up in advance and therefore did not receive his potential payout. Please remember to pay one week in advance as stated in the rules. Below you can see how many numbers you and indeed everyone else has and also who has paid up to date and who has not! COMING SOON last updated 19/10/06       RULES Playing costs £1 per week The first player to match all six numbers with the Saturday night main lottery numbers is the winner Winner takes 100% of the kitty All players must pay in advance for the Saturday night draw If a player collects all six numbers but is not paid up to date then he/she will not be deemed a winner Any outstanding debts must be paid before a player is allowed to play again The kitty does not include outstanding debts of players – only that which has been collected Debt payments collected are added to the current kitty Should two or more players reach six numbers on the same evenings draw then the kitty will be shared PLEASE CHECK YOUR OWN NUMBERS AS MISTAKES MAY OCCASIONALLY HAPPEN.