PUBS have been banned from opening in real life but in virtual reality Wadworth is making sure the local is still thriving.

The brewery has launched The Henry named after founder Henry Wadworth.

A spokesman said: “With the current Covid-19 advice regarding social distancing and social isolation and the closure of all pubs in England, Wadworth wants the beloved pub to still remain accessible for people to keep up connections.

“It has brought The Henry, the virtual pub into people’s homes through Facebook.”

It can be found at facebook.com/groups/thehenry and will feature regular live music from local musicians , Wadworth beer tasting, a weekly quiz and Q&As with the shire horse team plus weekly store cupboard cooking sessions. bingo, open mic, pub tricks and work-out Wednesday.

It will also be a pet friendly pub with a Wadworth pets feature.

CEO Chris Welham said: “Pubs are at the heart of everything we do and there has never been a greater need to make sure that as a community we come together.”

“With the recent call for pubs to close we wanted to keep pub goers company, keep the conversations flowing and bring a smile to everyone.

“We don’t want customers to forget what coming together feels like in a pub. All the fun things happening at The Henry will help bring a pub community together in a virtual way”.

The Wadworth team is busy brewing up lots of ideas to keep everyone entertained. This weekend The Henry hosted three live music sessions via Facebook live and have gained 1300 virtual pub followers in just three days.