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CAMRA - North Hampshire Branch This Page:           Campaigns     Save Gales Campaign - November 2005 Update The Plough Inn, Ashmansworth - August 2005 Update The Fox, Lyde Green, nr Rotherwick - May 30th 2004 Update George's Bar, Basingstoke - May 25th 2004 Update     Save your Local Pub   The role of the rural British pub as a cohesive centre of its community has never been more important than it is today, and yet a record number have ceased to trade in recent years.     Exactly why so many have closed is a complex equation, but taken at its most simplistic, changes in employment patterns, the explosion in residential house prices, and a lack of awareness of the wider role that pubs can play in supporting essential services, are the key issues. Beyond the chatter and laughter of the rural bar room crowd on a busy Sunday lunchtime, there are also the quiet times mid-week in February when no one bar the publican and his dog venture past the front door. In previous centuries, these were the times when the local agricultural workers or skilled craftsmen would have popped in to warm themselves, exchange a little gossip, and indulge in a pie and a pint. But times change; the agricultural workforce has dwindled as mechanisation has taken root, and many of the traditional village-based craftsmen have long ceased their particular trades. Even the beer is now largely delivered in metal casks, and coopers are a rare breed. In short, there are times when all is too peaceful, when tranquillity can transcend viability.     In parallel to these demographic changes, there has been a phenomenal explosion in residential property prices over the past couple of decades. Assessed on its business turnover, rather than its relative position and the bricks and mortar it is built from, the value of a modest pub business can be dwarfed by the value of the property were it to be converted and sold for residential use. Even many successful pubs are often worth less than the residential value of their property. It is therefore not surprising that many rural pubs have been lost. If rural communities are not just to become dormitories, it is vital that the residents take a more active involvement, and this is exactly what has been happening across the UK.     A guide, produced by the Campaign for Real Ale and Pub is the Hub, has been prepared to assist and encourage the process of assessment in future. Borne from experience at the sharp end of the pub industry, the customer, and the community, Saving your Local Pub is designed to be helpful, practical and relevant for village groups, and to be read in conjunction with the Pub is the Hub website (note: link opens in new window), on which formal technical, legal and financial documents and updates are available. Saving Your Local Pub is not exhaustive, and we would point out that there is no right or wrong way to approach the problem; every case is different. However, by bringing forward the ideas and thoughts of other communities, you will be able to pick and mix a successful recipe for your own community. Suggestions, ideas, and experiences for adding to future editions and to the Pub is the Hub website will be warmly received.     To obtain the guide, please telephone CAMRA on 01727 867201 or download it here (Note: 435kb). Additional information on pubs in the community and other campaigning issues can be found on CAMRA's national website at www.camra.org.uk     Contributions and opinions expressed in these pages are those of various individuals, they do not necessarily reflect the views of the Campaign for Real Ale either locally or nationally   ^ BACK TO TOP ^

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