We edited The Bolton News from 'Oasis bar' Definitely Maybe

Workers fed up of logging on from home are now seeking out other options for the daily grind.

And this bar, now open as a 'day cafe' from this week, may just be the quirkiest option yet ... and it's free.

One of the work stations

We sent our editor Steve Thompson down to see if he could produce The Bolton News from an underground bar in Bolton town centre. Here's how he got on...

WHAT'S THE STORY? OUR VERDICT

I arrive at Definitely Maybe at 11.30am on Monday - after our morning news conference - and I'm greeted by owners and siblings Paul and Mark Gallagher.

I check in on the NHS app and choose a work station. They have 11 in total and the Gallagher brothers (geddit?!) expect they'll have no problem filling those as word spreads about the new venture.

Wireless chargers on one of the tables at Definitely Maybe

Definitely Maybe operates as a bar from Thursday to Sunday - but is now open during the week as a cafe.

Some might say they are worried about working in a bar, but they have no need to be. It's all strictly professional during the day - you can't have cigarettes and alcohol while you work (unfortunately!)

It's a bright, airy environment - definitely a quiet oasis of calm and I felt half the world away from the chaos of home working.

The 'Zoom room' at the back of the picture, where workers can close the wooden doors for private video calls

This is a clean, modern bar - so it's not like you're working in an 'old man's pub' with beer stains on the floor and pork scratchings down the back of your seat, d'you know what I mean?

It is free to work here too - you can book a table via the Definitely Maybe Day Cafe's Facebook page - and there is a nice little menu, with hot drinks, toast and croissants, plus a decent selection of sarnies.

Steve hard at work at Definitely Maybe

It is table service and you can even order with your smartphone, by scanning a QR code and then using the online app.

A dedicated 'Zoom room' is on hand if you need a private space for a video call and there is supersonic Wi-Fi, power sockets and BBC News on the telly - in fact not that different from our newsroom, or working from home, apart from the Oasis soundtrack playing in the background.

I log on to my laptop easily enough - the Wi-Fi password naturally being a lesser-known Oasis song - and connect to our office network better than I do from home. I order a latte and croissant and I'm away sending emails, checking stories and making calls.

I forgot my earphones, so I wasn't sure about video meetings, but I decided to just roll with it. I was lucky that I was sat relatively undisturbed in my little corner - but I reckon there'll be more and more people there in the coming days and weeks so next time I'll be taking my AirPods.

Owner Mark Gallagher and staff member Charlie

Little by little I was getting used to my new workspace. I had only planned on staying for an hour or so just to try it out - but I was there for half the day, grabbing a working lunch, brought to my table by the brilliant Charie who looked after me superbly.

My main concerns working in a place like this - whether it's a coffee shop or a bar - would be the ability to concentrate, the ease of getting online, and then the availability of a good brew.

Here, all three were no problem. So did I manage to edit The Bolton News from an underground bar? Definitely. Will I be returning here again? Maybe(!) especially if I manage to claim my latte and croissant on expenses.

If you want to slide away from the same four (wonder)walls at home and you're looking for somewhere a little different to work, then you should be here now.

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