Community Services in Pubs
Below are brief details of some of the community benefits arising from a small amount of our projects in pubs in isolated rural areas:
The Beauchamp Arms, Dymock, Gloucestershire
A number of community groups, such as the playgroup and the Parents and Teachers Association, hold meetings there and there is a monthly lunch for Dymock’s over 60s club.
Pint and Post, St Giles on the Heath, Devon
The pub and tearoom have created a new meeting place for villagers within easy reach of their homes.
Craven Heifer, Stainforth, North Yorkshire
She (the licensee) also provides a delivery service to less mobile villagers with the help of the local milkman.
The Jack Russell Inn, Swimbridge, Devon
The introduction of a skittle alley has provided the village with a new meeting place, a venue for social functions (such as weekly quiz nights) and that it has helped to regenerate the village. As a result of this new enthusiasm, a group of young people have formed SNAP (Swimbridge Needs A Park) to create a much-needed park and playground for local children.
Waggon and Horses, Doulting Beacon, Somerset
The diverse nature of the events that take place at The Waggon and Horses has built up a strong reputation that has spread rather more widely than many rural pubs. The exhibitions and concerts provide entertainment for the local community that would not normally be available in such a rural area.
Miners Arms, Brassington, Derbyshire
The training club has been in great demand since opening in 1997 and although the first burst of enthusiasm has decreased slightly, its impact on the community has been enormous. Regular users have developed a firm command of IT skills and some have now acquired their own computers at home. Many of the villagers are computer literate which has benefited their private lives as well as helping them in the workplace. The club is now one of eight across Derbyshire offering learning opportunities to isolated, rural communities. It has enabled those who would not have been able to travel to attend courses because of work, childcare commitments or lack of transport, to further their education and take great steps to improving their employment skills.
Sun and Anchor, Steeple, Essex
The Dengie Project Trust bus service now operates five days a week, with funding from the Trust and some parish councils. It covers 14 villages and a variety of
pubs in the locality. Trust volunteers drive the bus. The initiative brings about 15 local elderly people to The Sun and Anchor every Wednesday for about three hours during which they have a drink and a three course meal followed by bingo, cards, or an opportunity to chat. The service provides an excellent opportunity for elderly people to get out of the house, have a good meal and enjoy the company of others. They are picked up from home or at a pick-up point if agreed. This ensures that even those who are more frail or disabled can attend the lunches.
Weir Hotel, Weir, Lancashire
Sunday morning services and a Sunday School have been successfully running in the main bar area of the pub since the beginning of July 2001.......the pub is conveniently situated at the centre of the village and has enough space for the size of congregation, which has now increased to 40.
The Crown Inn, Bathley, Nottinghamshire
The pub is of great benefit to the community. It is a focal point in a village with no other community meeting place which brings residents together. Mrs Addison, who helps organise the Cancer Research events, believes that it is a great asset to the village. The various activities, including the fund raising, draw people into the pub.
The Horseshoe, Silk Willoughby, Lincolnshire
They run a second hand paperback library, where books are donated and then sold for 30p. The money is put into a fund for village improvements. The pub operates a two tier meal system providing smaller cheaper meals for pensioners. They also do meal deliveries and take-aways.
Ostrich Inn, Castle Acre, Norfolk
Clarence Mallet runs a craft shop from an outbuilding of the pub which started after Ray held an exhibition of local crafts for charity. The shop sells items made by local residents, including woodturnings, candles and paintings. The shop has only been running since mid 2001 and at the moment the space is given rent-free.
Cock Inn, Combe, Oxfordshire
They are continuing to provide an established service by providing a place where villagers can come in and collect prescriptions. This is run jointly with a chemist from a neighbouring village, who picks up and drops off prescriptions at the pub. The villagers can then collect their prescriptions at their own convenience.
Twenty Churchwardens, Cockley Cley, Norfolk
Babs Main has been landlady of the Twenty Churchwardens for 16 years. For eight years she has run a pensioner lunch once a month. About 40 people who come from the surrounding area attend the club. Babs helps arrange for them to be picked up if necessary. It provides elderly people with an outing, a place for them to meet and an inexpensive meal for £3, which just covers the costs.