Cumbria County Council and the rural enterprise scheme Pub is the Hub have launched a new countywide initiative to encourage rural pubs and licensees in Cumbria to provide access to local services.
Speaking at the launch of the new scheme, Pub is the Hub's Campaign Director John Longden said hisorganisationhas already identified over 400 pubs in Cumbria that could benefit from the scheme.
"Any pub that's in a community of under 3,000 people could be eligible for a new grant of up to £25,000 to help them branch out and provide local services to the community such as a Post Office, village shop or tourist facility. We're already talking to a range of pubs in Cumbria with a view to setting up facilities including an art gallery and tourist accommodation. Research shows that over 70 per cent of villages no longer have a shop of Post Office. Pubs often provide the only meeting place in the village," said Mr Longden.
The grants will be delivered through the Cumbria Rural Infrastructure Support Programme (CRISP), the rural community support scheme set up by Cumbria County Council with financial support from Rural Regeneration Cumbria, which is backed by the North West Development Agency. The grants will require 50 per cent match funding from the licensee or pub owner. Typical Pub is the Hub schemes cost £10,000 to £15,000 although with the maximum of £25,000 grant, they could be up to £50,000.
"We're hoping to hear from rural licensees or parish communities if they believe they have the potential for other services in their pubs - be it shops, Post Offices, internet cafes or any innovative business idea. We've been concerned for some time about the decline of traditional services in rural communities. After some initial feasibility work, we are convinced that the Pub is the Hub approach can work in Cumbrian communities," said Councillor Tim Heslop, cabinet member responsible for economic well being.
The scheme, which is the first time Pub is the Hub has adopted a strategic approach across a whole county, was launched in the Horse and Farrier in Dacre. The pub was a pioneering example of introducing a post office into a pub, and has been successfully running the service for 10 years. Current licensee Joanne Moutter has been running the pub and Post Office for the last 3 years.