Enterprise Inns has donated £25k to Pub is The Hub to provide direct support for pubs.
Their donation supports the Community Services Fund which was set up by Pub is The Hub in 2013 as a nationally available resource for rural pubs who want to diversify their business. Grants of up to £4,000 as well as advice and hands-on support are available to help pubs provide new local services for communities. There is already a waiting list of forty-four projects in the pipeline.
Pub is The Hub has worked with some Enterprise Inns licensees such as Mark Gilliver at the Coach and Horses in Draycott near Derby. There, the community is working with Mark to produce a community garden in four raised beds in the pub’s car park that will be maintained by local groups such as the Scouts and Brownies. Mark said: “We are doing the work ourselves over the next few months but wouldn’t have been able to start without Pub is The Hub’s grant and their support.”
John Longden, Chief Executive for Pub is The Hub said: “We are enormously grateful to Enterprise Inns for its ongoing support over the last six years. We spend a great deal of time fund-raising to support our pub schemes and it’s wonderful to see ones like Mark’s growing, literally from the ground up!”
Simon Townsend, Chief Executive Officer for Enterprise Inns added: “We are proud to be a founding supporter of Pub is The Hub which recognises the vitally important role that pubs play in communities across the UK. We’re delighted to see the funds go towards worthwhile initiatives like the community garden in Draycott and we wish them all the best with the project. To date we have donated £140,000 to Pub is The Hub, and we are very pleased to be continuing our support.”
The largely voluntary organisation is run without any guaranteed long-term funding and relies upon annual donations from the hospitality and rural services sectors as well as grant funding from national and local government, the Prince’s Countryside Fund and the Big Lottery. All of the advisors are part-time and the organisation exists on good-will and support from a wide variety of sources.
Anyone who wishes to donate funding to Pub is The Hub can contact the office on 01423 546165.
Photos: John Longden and Simon Townsend are in the garden at the Coach and Horses in Draycott near Derby
