The Crown Inn, Bathley, Nottinghamshire In a village with just 130 houses and no shop, church or village hall, the Crown Inn, Bathley, serves as a meeting place for the parish council and a make-shift shop. It offers a postal service and local meeting room aside from its primary watering hole function. Run by Trevor and Madeleine Reed for the past seven years, the pub has become the focal point of village life, taking on ideas suggested by the community, raising money for charity, and organising village events such as carol services and barbecues. Trevor Reed said: "With limited passing trade, we have had to develop our role within the community." Pub games play a great part in the appeal. The skittle alley, in particular, is a great favourite. The Crown now has a huge array of pub teams dominoes, darts, table and alley skittles. "The key to the success of the the Crown Inn lies in its ability to remain at the centre of community life," a spokesman for Pub is the Hub said. Although many of the community events do not add very much to revenue, they help publicise the pub and create a busy, lively atmosphere that people want to return to.
