21-May-2010
Cumberland News - Cumbria to benefit from £470,000 boost to ‘pub is the hub’ scheme
A scheme championed by Prince Charles to make rural pubs the heart of their communities has received a six-figure Lottery boost.
The ‘Pub Is The Hub’ scheme, which lists the Black Swan in Ravenstonedale as one of its notable successes, has received £470,000 from the Big Lottery Fund to pay for 30 ‘community champions’ training programmes.
Cumbria will be among the areas to benefit from the scheme, which aims to help pubs hoping to bring other aspects of village life, such as the local shop and post office, under the same roof.
John Longden, director of Pub Is The Hub, said: “We are very grateful to the Big Lottery Fund for supporting our commitment to the needs of local residents, communities and economies across the UK.
“This grant will ensure that we can continue our work creating thriving local communities with viable, vibrant pubs at their heart.”
The Black Swan was hailed by the Prince, who launched the Pub Is The Hub scheme, as a prime example of a pub which had become central to community life.
Owner Louise Dinnes said at the time: “Ravenstonedale lost the post office three years ago and our nearest shops in Kirkby Stephen or Orton, are six and eight miles away.
“We could see the need for a local shop, and we have the room here to provide it. We applied to the Pub is the Hub project, which aims to get vital services into pubs.”
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