A pub's name is to be changed after more than 500 people signed a petition calling it offensive.

The Midget pub off Preston Road in Abingdon is to get a six-figure investment from owners Greene King, with work starting later this month.

And its name - linked with the town's former MG car factory - will be changed to The Roaring Raindrop - an MG car designed to tackle the land speed record in the 1950s.

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The pub, which opened in 1974, was originally called The Magic Midget - the nickname of the MG EX 127 that broke the world land speed record of 120mph in 1932.

But in 2002 the hostelry was renamed The Midget, as a reference to the wider range of Midget models produced by MG.

Earlier this year, more than 500 people signed an online petition calling for the name of pub to be changed as it was deemed offensive by some.

Petition organiser Dr Erin Pritchard said the pub owner Greene King "should recognise the offence of the term and its implications".

(Image: Andy Ffrench) The investment by Greene King will coincide with the pub’s name focusing on a different record-breaking car, and comes after concerns were raised that the word ‘midget’ is seen as a discriminatory and offensive term for people living with dwarfism.

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The new name, The Roaring Raindrop, commemorates the final record breaking EX 181 car from MG built in Abingdon.

It was driven by Sir Stirling Moss in 1957 when he set a land speed record of 245.6mph over a distance of 1km at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, USA. It subsequently set a new record of 254.9mph in 1959 driven by American Phil Hill.

There will be a complete refurbishment inside and outside the pub.

Zoe Bowley, managing director of Greene King pubs, said: “I’m delighted that we’re investing such a significant sum in bringing a new lease of life to this true community pub in its 50th year.

“Pubs are at the heart of communities and are all about bringing people together. I would like to thank the MG Car Club for welcoming us into their headquarters in Abingdon to explain the history of both cars and their importance to the area.

"We hope that making the change in this way helps to preserve our pub’s historic links to Abingdon’s past while simultaneously ensuring our pub can be a place where everyone feels welcome.”

(Image: Andy Ffrench) Dr Pritchard, a senior lecturer in Disability Studies at Liverpool Hope University, spoke to Greene King earlier this year about the negative connotations of the term midget.

Dr Pritchard said: “The term midget is a form of disablist hate speech, which I and most other people with dwarfism, have experienced as a form of bullying, including it having it shouted at us by strangers.

"It is a term that should be consigned to the history books.”

The MG Car Club, which is based in the town's Cemetery Road, discussed possible names with Greene King that would recognise MG’s legacy in the area.

Andy Knott, MG Car Club manager, said: “Working with Greene King has been fantastic. For the MG Car Club, it was essential to preserve the pub’s connection to the marque.

"With MG moving to Abingdon in 1929 and building iconic cars for 50 years, it’s become a significant part of the town’s history. The name MG still draws thousands of enthusiasts to Abingdon every year.

(Image: Andy Ffrench) “EX 181, known as The Roaring Raindrop, marked MG Abingdon's final foray in to record breaking in 1959."

Work will start on the pub on in the coming weeks, and it will close for a few weeks before reopening in December. A sign outside says it will close on November 17.

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About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning. 

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