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A survey has revealed overwhelming support for the nation’s pubs – but many are still battling to survive after a government scheme providing grants to communities to buy local assets closed before Christmas
Villagers trying to buy their local pub have raised nearly £60,000 since their battle appeared in the Mirror last week.
Residents hoping to save the historic Sun Inn, in the picturesque Cumbrian village of Dent, say they have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support. Since their story appeared last Thursday, nearly £60,000 worth of pledges have been lodged, taking the total to almost £280,000. However, they still have a long way to go to reach their target of £500,000.
As the Mirror revealed, their fight was made harder after a government scheme providing grants to communities to buy local assets closed before Christmas. Volunteers trying to take over the Sun Inn made a direct appeal to Deputy PM Angela Rayner, whose department was responsible for the scheme. In response, Ms Rayner said: “Pubs like the Sun Inn are the beating heart of communities and we are determined to protect them.”
One of three main demands of the Mirror’s Your Pub Needs You campaign is support for community groups wanting to buy their local.
Tony Durrant, spokesman for Dent Community Pub Ltd, organisers of the Save Our Sun drive, said: “The response from Mirror readers has been tremendous and we’re pleased that the Deputy PM has also taken an interest in our case. What we’d love is for the Deputy PM’s department to step in and fill the gap created by the withdrawal of the Community Ownership Fund which, after all, was all about levelling up. She’s very welcome to visit the Sun and have a pint with us. If she releases another source of community funding we’d name one of the darts trophies in her honour.” The website for the fundraising drive is https://www.dentcommunitypub.co.uk.
It came as a separate survey found overwhelming backing for the Mirror’s campaign. The poll by Survation and the UK Spirits Alliance (UKSA) found nearly two-thirds of people (64%) believe pubs play an important role in addressing loneliness and social isolation, more than half of people (58%) agree that the Government should provide more support for struggling pubs, bars, and their supplier, and 61% say Britain will lose its sense of community spirit if more pubs close down.
One pub saved by the locals in 2017 warned it was facing a struggle to survive because of cost pressures and tough trading.
The community in Furze Platt, north Maidenhead, Berkshire, managed to raise £400,000 to buy the Craufurd Arms to prevent it being sold to developers and potentially knocked down for housing. Thanks to a dedicated army of volunteers, the pub proved a success, even through the impact of Covid. But volunteer Richard Jones, a former chairman of the committee that runs the pub, says the impact of everything from sky-high energy bills and insurance to the weather are taking their toll.
“If we carry on trading as it is, I am not sure if in six months time we will be credible, I don’t think we will continue,” he said. That would be a bitter blow for the local community, he said, with the pub – run by manager Neil Piddington – used by a senior citizens group through to its men’s and women’s darts team, and a place for young singers to perform.
Mr Jones backed one of the Mirror’s other demands: a fighting fund to help struggling pubs. “A fighting fund would buy us time and help with our cashflow,” he said. The community is installing an outside awning at a cost of £8,000 and is looking at ways to raise money to lower its energy bill.
