18-Mar-2009
Denbighshire Visitor - Denbighshire chosen to pilot Pub Is The Hub scheme
A royal rescue plan for rural pubs has been launched in Wales for the first time
Pub Is The Hub is the brainchild of Prince Charles and is being piloted in Denbighshire by rural development agency Cadwyn Clwyd.
For years Pub Is The Hub has been revitalising rural pubs and their local communities in England by providing services ranging from a post office and shop to a school meals service.
Prince Charles is the Patron of Pub Is The Hub which began in 2001 and as Prince of Wales he will be keeping a close eye on its progress as it crosses the border. The three-year £175,000 Denbighshire project is part of a massive £5.3 million package which Ruthin-based Cadwyn Clwyd has secured from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) through the Welsh Assembly Government’s Rural Development Plan.
It is estimated that five pubs are closing every day across the UK – almost 2,000 closed last year.
Malcolm Harrison, a former director of Thwaites brewery, is the Pub is the Hub Project Leader for the Denbighshire scheme and he said: “We want to encourage pubs and licensees to work together with their local communities and play a bigger part in helping to address community needs.”
Local landlord Adrian Jones, of The Griffin Inn, Llanbedr DC, said: “It’s definitely going to be of interest to landlords and to village communities.
“These are difficult times for pubs and rural life generally with village schools and rural post offices under threat so if this scheme can maintain the services on which a community depends, then so much the better.”
The scheme is open to pubs in all rural towns and villages in Denbighshire, and licensees and communities who are eligible can benefit from financial assistance.
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