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Licensees are getting behind The Publican's Proud of Pubs Charter and showing their commitment to trading responsibly.

Within one hour of our story going live on The Publican's website last week, licensee Mike Derrick said he had "downloaded, printed, signed and laminated" the Proud of Pubs Charter and put it behind the bar at his pub near Wigan.

Mike, who runs the Plough in Hindley with Jimmy Chisam, knows the value of trading responsibly. Since the pair took over the pub six months ago - a London & Edinburgh Inns tenancy which had been closed for two years - they believe it is the pub's no-nonsense approach to clamping down on underage sales, drunken customers and disorder which has really put it on the map.

"We stick to the rules here, we don't serve to underage people," said Mike. "The local Pubwatch circulates a list of people and if you are on that list you simply won't get through the door. Some pubs don't abide by the rules, but if you don't live by the rules, you die by the rules."

So successful has the pub's trading style been that customers have flocked back to the venue. Last week, Mike and Jimmy took 14 of the regulars on a trip to Alton Towers. "We all went up for the day. It was our way of saying thank you," said Mike.

The Jolly Farmers in Swanton Abbott, Norfolk, has also signed up to the charter. Licensee Carol Johnson said she would be "proud to be included in the Proud of Pubs campaign and proud to be included on the charter".

"We pride ourselves in helping the local community as much as we can - and we have recently added a shop to our premises," continued Carol. "We provide good pub food, good beer, good service and good music which we hope can keep a good local going. Far too many pubs are getting taken over by the big boys!"

Mike Ratcliff of the Winds of Change, a freehouse in South Petherwin, Launceston, Cornwall, is another signatory to the charter. "My pub is a place where you can bring your mother, your grandmother and all your family. We've got to do everything we can to promote the pub," he said.

"It's great to see The Publican starting something like this. If we don't do everything we can to protect our pubs they won't be around much longer."

The Proud of Pubs Charter is a key focus of The Publican's Proud of Pubs campaign. For more details visit www.thepublican.com/proudofpubs