Licensee champions youth employment in ‘poor’ Cornwall

Rob Brewer and his wife Lucy, who run the Rashleigh Arms in Charlestown, said that despite living in a “poor county”, there are many opportunities for young people to develop their careers, rather than moving out of Cornwall to the big cities.

He said: “Cornwall’s lovely and picturesque, but it’s still quite a poor county.

“The economy is driven by food, drink, tourism and catering, so it’s been our commitment to try and develop people into having a career within this industry.”

Brewer added: “You certainly can get there and earn quite a bit of money out of it, but it’s about getting people that job and career.

“It’s a reason not to leave Cornwall and help boost the local economy.

“One of our kitchen porters is now a second chef, another member of our team started off as a bar staff and is now our senior assistant manager.

“It’s a massive asset to the business and it’s that commitment to give someone, or our team, a career or a job that’s not minimum wage and you can earn quite big money out of it.”

The Brewers have owned the Rashleigh Arms for 10 years and have won a string of awards, including the British Institute of Innkeeping’s Licensee of the Year Award for 2016 in June.

For a more in-depth read, you can find out more in the My Pub feature in next issue of The Morning Advertiser​.