60,000 join Save the Great British Pub campaign
Almost 60,000 people have signed up to a campaign to "Save the Great British Pub".
The campaign is led by high profile licensee Inez Ward, who also runs Justice for Licensees and organised the pubco protest earlier this week.
The campaign has four key goals:
• To promote the benefits of the Great British pub such as being the hub of the community and providing a responsible place to drink.
• To hold supermarkets accountable for the actions of selling cheap alcohol.
• To open discussion with Government on the effects of the smoking ban, red-tape and the constant barrage of legislation.
• To open discussions about changes to the pubco model. The group does believe the pubco model can work if run correctly but stresses that is not currently happening.
The campaign's Facebook group had 57,329 followers this morning. The total has been rising by around 2,000 members each day.
"Pubs are closing at a phenomenal rate and we believe the British pub is worth saving," said Ward, licensee at Mavericks in Newquay, Cornwall.
"A lot the benefits of the pub go unreported these days and we want to promote all that is good. A pub is a supervised and responsible place for drinking and does a lot of great work for the community and charity.
"It is part of our heritage and culture. We must save the pub before it is too late."
• Pubco protesters are also now planning to stage a demonstration at Westminster, most likely in March.
• Join the Facebook group: Save the Great British Pub.
