The Fountain Inn pub, also known as “Aunty’s bar”, was a safe haven for LGBTQIA+ people in Walsall, and those travelling in from the wider West Midlands region, during a time when homosexuality was still illegal. It closed its doors following Alice Cronin’s (the much-loved Aunty that gave the venue its name) retirement. Now almost sixty years later, the bar has inspired Birmingham Opera’s upcoming mini opera.