SARA COX TURNS UP THE VOLUME FOR BRITAIN’S PUBS

Radio 2 DJ, author and presenter Sara Cox has joined forces with Punch Pubs & Co and Northumbria University, Newcastle to show the true value of pubs to their communities.

These days pubs are so much more than somewhere to buy food and drink. They are often also the local library, the village post office, the only shop, and a safe, welcoming space where the vulnerable and lonely can meet.

The report, The Public’s House: The True Economic & Social Value of Pubs, reveals the average pub in the UK1 contributes a whopping £1.3m2 in community value every year. And these figures are conservative, as many of the community contributions made by pubs such as providing support, company, and spaces for community groups to gather are, quite simply, priceless.

As Sara Cox, says: “I’m hugely passionate about pubs, my Mum ran The Pineapple Pub in Bolton while I was growing up, so pub culture has been a big part of my life. Pubs, for me, are a place where brilliant memories are made and friendships for life are formed.
“This research is a powerful reminder of just how much pubs matter, yet more than one pub a day closes, and we lost 366 of them last year alone. That a pub provides local jobs and supports local farmers, butchers and bakers is evident, but this research also illustrates what the pub means for ordinary folk up and down the country.

“Nowadays, you can eat, drink, sing, play board games, knit, natter, or attend a book club in a pub – but it doesn’t matter what you do, the most important thing is that we use our pubs. If we don’t, it’ll be far more than somewhere to go and have a pint that we’ll miss out on, our social links and community support will be lost as well.”