01-Apr-2008
Enterprise Inns - Closer to the community
Providing a crucial service or raising cash for a charity is a pub's best route to becoming the focal point of its community, as the Enterprise retailers show.
With £30,000 of funding from Pub Is The Hub and government-run Devon Rural Renaissance, the Walshes have been able to convert their disused garage into a sub-post office and community room.
Victor explained: “It’s important that we have a dual-purpose scheme because if the post office ever had to close, we would still have the community room which secures the funding.
“The room’s ideal for parish council meetings and also for visiting chiropodists or even mobile hairdressers.”
Diverse offering
The post office and community room complement the Mussel Inn’s already diverse offering of coffee shop, restaurant, bed and breakfast – which is being extended from four to 10 rooms – as well as traditional pub, of course.
While the post office won’t make the Walshes rich, it enables them to build trade by tapping into the large catchment area the post office will serve – especially with Lynn at the helm as sub-postmistress.
"It will certainly introduce new people to the pub we’re open early for coffee and provide food at reasonable rates throughout the day, so obviously we’ll advertise these services in the post office,” said Victor.
Make your pub the hub
Could your pub provide a crucial community service?
- Hire out your function room to community groups
- Put up a notice board for community news
- Set up a free wireless internet service
- No village shop? Sell simple provisions such as milk and bread
In the News
23-Mar-2012
Pub is The Hub Announces £1.3m Local Services Initiative for Welsh Pubs
Alun Davies, Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and European Programmes announced yesterday a £1.3m package of support for local services in rural pubs in Wales through a joint co-operation initiative between Pub is The Hub and Cadwyn Clwyd (the Regional Development Agency for Denbighshire and Flintshire).
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06-Mar-2012
Off to a great start in Lincolnshire
Seventeen pubs expressed their interest in diversification schemes at the Lincolnshire launch of Local Community Services Champions this week.
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25-Jan-2012
Free computer skills training in pubs
Pub is The Hub has joined forces with Lancashire County Council in their Local Community Services Champions initiative to provide free computer classes to absolute beginners.
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