18-May-2009
Cambridge News - The humble pub, hub of local life
Few things are as iconic as the traditional English pub.
Few things are as iconic as the traditional English pub.
Whether it is a timeless, thatched, timber-beamed pub overlooking a village green where a genial host serves pints of frothing ale, or a quiet city retreat from the hectic pace of urban life, the local is a staple part of the community.
But a new survey has found that in Cambridgeshire, 21 per cent of respondents have never set foot in their local pub and a similar percentage only popped in there once in the past year. People are far more likely to spend evenings in front of the television and are twice as familiar with who is running the Queen Vic, in EastEnders, or pulling pints at the Rovers Return, in Coronation Street, than who runs their own local boozer.
Carling, which commissioned the survey, has launched a drive to offer six million households across the country a free pint at their local. Company representatives will simply knock on doors as part of the initiative.
Carling’s Martin Coyle said: "We’re urging people to turn off the telly, get off the sofa and get down to their local for a pint. The British pub is a great place to be and a key part of the country’s social fabric.
"What better place to meet your mates, get to know local personalities and be part of your community?"
Reflecting on the survey statistics, Paul Ainsworth, of the Cambridge branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra), said: "This chimes in with other recent surveys.
"There is a core of people who never go to a pub and people who only go quite rarely. I think they don’t know what they’re missing.
"The pub is such a British institution. Even if you don’t drink there is so much a pub can offer, being a centre for the community and a meeting place for people, clubs and societies."
Last orders have been called at several pubs in recent months and many will be redeveloped for housing and apartments. Paul said the demise in pub-going reflected trends in society.
He said: "With the increase in home entertainment, people can get that entertainment at home on their own settee. But they are losing out on the social dimension."
Camra’s LocAle campaign highlights the local beers produced in the area and aims to press breweries and pub companies to allow landlords to sell them as guest ales.
Paul said: "We are absolutely convinced that there is an interest in buying quality local products."
The survey found 47 per cent of people cited friendly locals and 37 per cent named friendly staff as key factors that make a pub special.
The Cambridge Camra branch recently chose the White Horse in Swavesey, run by Will and Pat Wright, as its pub of the year.
Will said: "In rural villages the pub is the one place people can meet and talk.
"They’ve done a good job of closing post offices and supermarkets have done a good job of knocking out village shops.
"I was brought up in the village and we’ve been here 10 years, so I’m known by a large percentage of the village. I would say I see less than the 20 per cent of people in here at least once a month."
He said it was vital that people supported local pubs for the sake of their communities.
He said: "We reached a benchmark in the UK last year when less than half the communities had a hostelry - and pubs have been closing at a rate of 35-40 a week since then.
"The pub is more than a place to drink. You can have a soft drink, tea or coffee, play pool, darts or dominoes or just sit and read the paper.
"It is crucial to have somewhere to go. It’s the place to meet people.
"The pub is the hub. If the community loses the hub, you lose that community spirit."
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