Spring 2007 Master Brewer - The beating heart of the community
AN EXCLUSIVE SURVEY by Master Brewer has revealed the astonishing contribution made by Shepherd Neame pubs to their local communities and society.
We interviewed more than 200 licensees across Kent and throughout our managed estate, asking tenants and managers how their pub supported its community.
Community support ranges from providing a place for clubs to meet and socialise and the sponsorship of grassroots sports teams, to raising money for national and local charities. Our licensees revealed the wealth of services provided by their pubs which have established them as the backbone of their communities.
Shepherd Neame pubs form a base for a huge array of sporting activities supporting literally hundreds of teams playing football, cricket, rugby, golf, darts, snooker, bat and trap and even petanque.
Many of our rural pubs also provide a start and finish point for walking groups and horse-riders.
Pubs with function rooms or meeting areas offer a natural venue for thousands of social and hobby groups, and 56% of the pubs surveyed said they hosted some sort of organised functions, including luncheon clubs, formal and informal community meetings.
The variety is endless and includes bell-ringers, poets, WIs, parish councils, morris dancers, Neighbourhood Watch, book clubs, Weight Watchers, and historical societies.
In rural areas, where vital community services may have been lost, our pubs have stepped in to fill the gap.
Three supply a post office counter service, four a cash machine (plus hundreds offering cash-back) and one even has a shop selling groceries.
The Wheelwright Arms in Matfield near Tunbridge Wells stepped in to supply essentials to locals after the village shop closed down. A pint of Spitfire can now be ordered with a pint of milk, a tin of tomato soup and half a dozen loo rolls!
Our research highlights the hundreds of thousands of pounds our pubs raise for good causes each year. The range of charities supported by these efforts embraces national and international causes, but the bulk of fund-raising efforts are focused on the needs of Kent.
The most popular ways of raising money are quizzes, raffles and collection boxes but the most amazing thing about our licensees and their customers is their ingenuity and the variety of ways they find to help people less fortunate than themselves.
Shepherd Neame pubs host such diverse events as music nights, darts contests, karaoke, bring and buy sales, conker championships, crib nights and barbecues.
Outside the pub, our customers raise money for charity by cycling, swimming, racing wheelie bins, building rafts - and even smashing pianos!
Pubs in coastal towns work hard to support the RNLI, for instance, while others raise money for special units in hospitals, the county's hospices or holidays for disadvantaged children.
Most heart-warming, however is the tendency of a pub's licensee and customers to rally round one of their regulars who has a family member suffering from major health problems, whether it's to pay for expensive treatment, to buy a wheelchair or simply to finance a morale-boosting holiday.
The work our licensees and customers put into raising money is truly astounding; the Alexandra Hotel in Chatham has raised £10,000 in the last 12 months alone and the Walnut Tree at Aldington near Ashford has raised more than £20,000 over the last three years, partly thanks to licensee Karen Barrett's death-defying wing-walks.
Jonathan Neame said: "Our survey shows that the pub really is the hub of the community and the generosity of our customers makes a significant contribution to charities and other good causes across the South East.
"Whether an event organised by a licensee raises thousands, hundreds or even tens of pounds, this survey shows that by people giving what they can afford, and having a great time doing it, pubs can contribute hugely to the public good.
"The numbers of our pubs providing a meeting place for so many clubs, social groups and sports teams also demonstrates the pivotal role the community pub plays in the fabric of society."
What makes a great pub
For centuries the pub has been one of Britain's quintessential institutions
Their longevity is thanks to their core values, staying robust throughout the centuries. But that is not to suggest inflexibility. Whenever necessary, the industry has evolved, withstanding numerous threats, including the rise of social clubs, the emergence of home entertainment, changes to the licensing regime and the forthcoming smoking ban.
Pubs are an essential part of British life and their contribution to society is as broad as it is essential.
The 58,000 pubs in the UK provide employment for more than 900,000 people, with Shepherd Neame's pubs directly and indirectly accounting for 5,000 jobs across its estate.
It is estimated that the company's pubs and brewery staff raise in excess of £750,000 per year for charity, in many cases contributing towards life-saving services such as the Kent Air Ambulance Trust.
Shepherd Neame pubs invest approximately £100,000 in their local economies per annum. A further £500,000 is invested in grassroots and first-class sport through sponsorship deals.
Pubs continue to evolve through the ages which is why they have managed to remain strong today despite many UK institutions falling by the wayside, village shops and local post offices being the most recent victims.
A new initiative called Pub is the Hub (PITH) encourages pubs to diversify in order to safeguard their future.
PITH's John Longden said: "Since we started, five years ago, we've helped bring more than 100 post offices and 80 shops to rural pubs. Pubs are truly becoming central to their communities by providing these vital services to otherwise cut-off communities. In turn, they know their communities will support them."
Speaking at a Clarence House reception celebrating PITH's fifth anniversary, HRH Prince Charles said: "Rural communities, and this country's rural way of life, are facing unprecedented challenges. The country pub has been at the heart of village life for centuries."
His Royal Highness even admitted a fondness for one particular pub favourite: darts. He said: "My youngest son is a great deal better than I am, but I am doing my best to keep the darts tradition going!"
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