Initiatives
The Pub is the Hub
The Pub is the Hub was initiated by The Prince of Wales through Business in the Community, one of The Prince’s Charities, in response to the closure of many British country pubs and other rural services such as shops and post offices.
Set up in 2001 through the Rural Action Programme of BITC, Pub is the Hub encourages breweries, pub owners, licensees and local communities to work together to help retain and enhance rural services in isolated rural areas using the pub, the traditional heart of many villages and hamlets.
Through the initiative, the pub is offered advice about how to increase its viability through a variety of measures: better provision of food and drink, additional retail uses (a shop or post office), and the addition of new facilities such as a pharmacy collection point, local pensioner meal support, church services, dry cleaning and laundry collection and deposit services, crèche facilities, an art gallery and a shop for locally sourced products.
Pub is the Hub has been very successful and in February 2005 companies and trade associations came together to form a national steering body and help groups in various regions were established to provide local and speedy advice to those who need it.