S
ipping a refreshing drink in the beer garden of thousands now providing services as local shops, post offices,
your favourite country pub is one of life’s great and even internet cafés and conference centres.
pleasures, something to savour on a warm The scheme is being piloted in a £175,000 project in
spring day, surrounded by close family and friends. Denbighshire led by rural development agency Cadwyn Clwyd.
Hundreds once flocked to these rural spots to make merry, Helen Roberts of the agency says: “We want the village pub
but today, pubs are finding it harder than ever to remain to be at the heart of the community. This is the first time it has
vibrant with life. been done in Wales and I know the Prince of Wales is watching
It’s estimated five pubs are closing every day across the UK it very closely.”
– almost 2,000 closed last year – and many of these are in rural Malcolm Harrison, a former director of Thwaites brewery, is the
areas where villages and shops are also under threat. Pub is the Hub project leader for the Welsh scheme.
Increases in beer taxes and “Services that have been
millions of pounds of extra costs
in red tape are making it
“Services that have been falling
falling away in rural areas
can be restored,” he says. “This
incredibly difficult for pubs to
continue their key roles in rural
away in rural areas can be
can breathe new life into a
village and can be incredibly
areas, and with a recession
keeping thrifty consumers at
restored. This can breathe new life
rewarding for licensees.”
While landlord Adrian Jones
home drinking supermarket
into a village and be incredibly
of The Griffin Inn, Llanbedr DC,
booze, more are set to fall by says these are difficult times for
the wayside.
rewarding for licensees.”
pubs and rural life generally.
But a triple-whammy of help “If this scheme can maintain
is at hand: MPs have launched the services on which a
an all-party Save the Pub campaign aimed at helping ailing community depends, then so much the better,” he comments.
pubs and reforming beer ties with large pub companies; the Flintshire publican Chris Windley, whose pub, Glan Yr Afon, is
Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) are launching their own Save Our celebrating its 450th year in businesss this year, thinks rural pubs
Pub initiative; and now the Pub is the Hub campaign has been can offer much more to their communities.
launched in Wales for the first time. “What’s happening to pubs, shops and post offices is interesting.
They’re all under similar pressures at the same time, but thanks to
Raising the bar schemes like Pub is the Hub, they’re able to come together quite
Begun in England by The Prince of Wales in 2001, The Pub is the neatly,” suggests Holywell-based Chris.
Hub has helped breweries and publicans in their plight to survive. “If pubs get the basics right, they should be fine,” he adds.
It’s work, encouraging pubs to return to their roots as community “If the food, drink, appearance and service is good, then it
hubs, is starting to have a profound effect around the country, with doesn’t really need to extend beyond that.
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