Three pubs relaunch after help from Pub is The Hub
The Boars in Spooner Row, Norfolk, has opened a new coffee shop and family area in the pub’s old laundry room after receiving a grant of £3,000.
The coffee shop is accessible through a separate entrance at the pub and opens from 8am so that residents, commuters and parents taking children to and from school can call in to enjoy home-made cakes, teas, coffee and a menu of locally sourced food with a full takeaway service.
Licensee Russell Evans said: “We are hoping that this new service for the community will be another place to socialise and meet together during the day. We are grateful to PiTH for inspiring us and providing the grant to help us complete the changes.”
The Swan Inn at Carleton-in-Craven, North Yorkshire, was also given £3,000 from the fund to open a community hub in its function room. It is open from 8.30am to 12noon, seven days a week, and users can access the super-fast Wi-Fi facilities, two personal computers, newspapers and magazines, photocopying and printing facilities, local information and a book exchange.
Licensee Paul Selwood said: “Our priorities in running the Swan are all based around the village and its residents because it is the only thing that will ensure that the business is sustainable over time.”
Meanwhile, the Farmers Arms at St Merryn, Cornwall, has opened a state-of-the-art play castle activity centre for children with help from PiTH and its brewery St Austell.
Award-winning tenants at the brewery-owned pub, Dan Martland and Lisa Clarke, have been running the pub three miles outside Padstow in St Merryn for almost three years and had noticed the lack of playing facilities in the area.
Dan Martland said: “In the summer, the local children join the many visitors in enjoying any of the seven local beaches nearby. However, in the out-of-season periods, there’s nowhere locally for village children to play after school. We hope that our own seaside castle will be the perfect venue for playing, exercise and parties, as well as a lovely sun trap for parents looking for their own relaxation time.”
PiTH founder John Longden said: “It’s great to see great community schemes like this come into fruition and from such different parts of the country. All three of these inspirational schemes are the result of two-way conversations between the pubs and their communities, a little financial kick start from our own Community Services Fund and some bravery to jump in and have a go!”
