These range of services could include community cafes, village stores and allotments to activities such as theatre and craft workshops, for rural, remote or deprived areas, enabling them to bring people together in a bid to combat social isolation and loneliness.
Pub is The Hub chief executive John Longden said: “In isolated rural and deprived areas, adding a service such as a village store, community café or running activities such as craft workshops or theatre at the local pub can be a great way to support people living locally.”
Isolated rural community
Licensee of the Halfway in Tal-Y-Coed, Wales Rhiannon Metters, who met Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Downing Street to highlight the essential role pubs play in tackling isolation and supporting local communities last year, opened a village store and marquee events space with support from Pub is The Hub.
She said: “We are situated in an isolated rural community with the pub being the hub of the area. It is so important that we support local people ensuring they do not feel isolated and alone. With the nearest supermarket being 20 mins away the village store here in this isolated rural area is such a support to people in the local community,” she said.
“The marquee has become a space where we run local courses such as CPR and craft workshops to help bring people together. We have noticed that there are a lot of new people, including women on their own, coming in to use the pub, either using the village store or joining for classes.”
Previous report
October last year saw one minister say the Government wanted to support rural pubs, after it was announced the Department for Business and Trade was providing £440,000 worth of funding for Pub is The Hub.
At the time, employment rights and consumer protection minister Kate Dearden told The Morning Advertiser: “Rural pubs are vital community assets, creating jobs in local economies and providing people with a place to socialise and come together and initiatives like this are really important.”
Dearden also referenced Pub is The Hub’s report from September on the social value the sector has which found for every £1 spent investing in the provision of services and activities in the pub, an average of £8.28 of social value is created.
