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You may have some points, but I drink in Bedlington regularly (perhaps too regularly!) in a variety of pubs, and while you're right there is interest in Wetherspoons opening, I would say that most of it is more of 'well I'll pop in and see what it's all about' than a welcoming and eager anticipation. The 7am opening is a complete red herring; as i said before that's great where you have a major bus/rail station and a regular number of people passing, with time to wait for their connection and a need for a bacon sandwich, but in bedlington at 7am you have a stream of cars heading out of town and a handful of people crammed into the bus shelter; there is no business for them at 7am, it's a needless expense and one that, as economics determine, they will soon knock on the head as they have more business sense than that. I like the idea of curry clubs and such, but again it's worth remembering that many pubs in Bedlington have tried such ventures over the years - to a t, each one has failed miserably through lack of interest. Malcolm also raises an interesting point about the clientele, and it's one that the non-Wetherspoons initiated seem to be ignorant about; in one bar I drink in on Bedlington front street there is a regular afternoon crowd of half a dozen who are, as you say, eager for it to open. The lure of cheap beer is something that fits their needs. What they don't realise is that the language they use and the attitude that prevails will have them kicked out within a day, as Wetherspoons is known for not tolerating bad language or behaviour and proferring a 'family atmosphere'. I simply can't see where that angle of clientele is going to come from. The landlady in the bar I mention is fully expecting those few regular afternnon drinkers to flock to the Red Lion when it opens; she is also fully expecting them to be back in her place pretty quickly when they find they are not the sort of people that Wetherspoons wants. Will I be going in? Of course I will; however, call me old fashioned, but I prefer to support the local landlords who have been providing me with good, honest enjoyable service for all these years rather than give my money to a major corporation that is interested only in a quick buck.

For those people on here who don`t use FB, here are the photo`s of the inside view of Red Lion Wetherspoons, taken from their FB page.