Make contact

Have you met your MP?

Fewer than one in five (17 per cent) of licensees have, according to a recent poll on ThePublican.com Proud of Pubs Week is the hook that can bring that number up - and bring a greater understanding of the industry to Westminster.

Fridays are the day when MPs usually go back to their constituencies to host surgeries, carry out local functions and meet constituents. And on Friday July 18 we want as many of them as possible to include a local pub in their itineraries.

You can make it happen by writing to your MP now - by downloading the letter to the right and adapting it for your own pub.

You might think that with the raft of legislation affecting the trade, culminating in the recent beer tax hike, MPs have not been listening to pubs.

But Proud of Pubs Week is your chance to tell them what's really going on, to highlight the great service the pubs of this country are providing to communities up and down the land - and to win some invaluable local PR to boot.

Jonathan Mail, head of policy and public affairs at the Campaign for Real Ale, deals regularly with MPs - and he says it is more important than ever to get them into pubs.

"They need to better understand the place of pubs in their communities and everything that they do for charity," he says.

And if publicans succeed in making contact with their MP, Jonathan advises them to do their homework before the meeting.

"They should highlight all the good things they have done in the past 12 months. They should talk about the local activities that go on in the pub, and the people who use the pub as a meeting place," he says.

Only then should they talk about the action they really want to see, and highlight the damaging impact of government policies on pubs.

"It would be useful to give the MP a few facts and figures to give them a sense of how high excise duties are, and to raise some points about cheap alcohol in supermarkets," he says.

"One reason behind the beer tax increases is that the government has calculated that alcohol is more affordable than it has been in the past. But it did this by including off-trade prices. Licensees can show MPs the impact that this policy is having on pubs."

Jonathan advises that where possible, the pub should look to involve the local media in the visit, and always make sure they have someone on hand with a decent digital camera.

Another idea could be to invite the MP to host a Friday morning constituency surgery in the pub, which would be likely to make it easier for the MP to meet constituents they may not have met before.

When licensees invited their MPs to join them in their pubs for last year's Proud of Pubs Week many of them found they were knocking at open doors. More than 100 of them did so, in constituencies ranging from Glasgow to Glossop, and Bridgend to Brighton.

The fact is MPs want to be seen to be supporting local businesses, particularly with a general election due in the next two years - even Alistair Darling, if anybody in his Edinburgh South West constituency would be so bold as to go against the national campaign to keep him out of pubs and invite him in for some constructive dialogue.

Why not make contact?

• Don't forget to tell The Publican if your MP agrees to visit your pub.

What to do...

Download the sample letter below.

Visit www.upmystreet.com/commons/l/ if you are unsure of the identity of your local MP, or ring the House of Commons information office on 020 7219 4272.

Then write to your MP at:

House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA.

Other ways you can join in with Proud of Pubs Week

Inviting your MP into your pub is just one of a series of activities we are encouraging publicans to take part in during Proud of Pubs Week '08. Free window stickers showing your pride in your business are available to all participating pubs.

Other activities in Proud of Pubs Week include:

• Monday - Go green and put energy-saving measures into your pub • Tuesday - Put on a Proud of Pubs Night in your pub• Wednesday - Get to know your local media, invite them for a pint and a chat• Thursday - Show your pride in your team and enter The Publican and Fairy's Proud of Your People awards• Friday - Get your MP into the pub

Whatever you do, do something - Proud of Pubs Week is your chance to take part in a national campaign.

For more details call 020 7955 3710.