Pubs cater for every need
Scott Waddington, chief executive, SA Brain & Co Ltd
As I'm sure everyone that contributes to this campaign will agree, there is a unique quality to the British pub that is difficult to define. How do you explain the emotional connection you have with your local pub, the warm memories that are conjured up by thoughts of that little rural inn you found on holiday, or the excitement of the first visit to a new bar on a Saturday night out?
I think that's what makes me most proud of the pub - its ability to cater for every possible need. You want a quiet hour to read the paper and have a pint after work? You want to take the children to somewhere where they can run around and play safely in the garden while you and the family sit down to a home-cooked Sunday roast? You want to raise thousands to help a local charity? You want a night out with the girls, or somewhere to watch the big match with your mates? Go to the pub.
That's what makes so much of the present criticism so unfair and frustrating. Firstly, you can't talk about "pubs" in any generic sense as they vary so much. Secondly, anti-social behaviour is exactly that - bad behaviour that needs to be dealt with, not a brush with which to tar an entire industry.
If you want to see that principle at work, visit Cardiff. It's featured all too often in sensationalist "reality" TV shows for its concentration of bars and yet in the centre of the busiest street we run two thriving Victorian locals, one totally no-smoking, and our flagship Yard Bar & Kitchen on the site of our Old Brewery. The Yard is large, modern, serves food all evening, has efficient well-trained staff and there's plenty of seating it doesn't discount nor does it promote.
Away from the screaming headlines and knee-jerk Parliamentary panics, responsibly managed, high-quality pubs remain at the heart of their communities, be they suburban, rural, sporting, tourist or city centre, and are important local businesses. Of that, we can all be justifiably proud.
Are you proud of your pub? Call the Proud of Pubs hotline on 020 7955 3780 or email proudofpubs@thepublican.com
