Putting the pub at the heart of village life

It seems that wherever a local need has been identified, the Bagby Inn has tried to meet it with a new product or a service. This isn't altruism. It's a means of securing the pub's future at a time when rural pubs throughout the country are vanishing like leaves in autumn.

At Bagby (population about 500) the entrepreneurial couple behind the bar have tried to re-think what a village local can do for a community. As a result, their pub has already carved a niche for itself and is proving a lifeline for local residents of all ages.

The contraction in services occurred here just as it has done almost everywhere. But the pub has succeeded in taking up the slack to the point where it's become the only facility available to residents. The revival began when Victoria, 36, and Patrick Brizio, 51,took over the lease of the inn last September and moved in with their three children.

They decided there were plenty of opportunities for them to diversify and make their place a focal point and now they typically work 14 hour days to fulfill that. "There used to be a shop and a post office, but like so many village shops, they shut down," says Victoria, who was born and bred in Bagby. "Even the annual village fete stopped a couple of years ago, which is a great shame.

"There was nothing else in the village and we saw that as an opportunity to bring more custom in. I think that unless you're willing to try different ideas, you won't survive as a village pub in a rural area, especially if you're just starting out like we were."

A scheme called the Pub is the Hub was set up by Prince Charles in 2001 to assist pubs to broaden their scope. It received quite a bit of publicity, but Victoria says she's never heard of it.

Indeed, since the scheme started, the general picture has become much worse. The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) says the pub closure rate increased from 316 net closures in 2006, to 1,409 in 2007 and 1,866 in 2008. It predicted 2,700 pubs were likely to shut this year.

Co-ownership is now being floated as an idea to hold back the rate of closures. Last month the Pubs Minister, John Healey, said 4m would be made available to give practical support to community pubs. The Government gave 3.3m to the Plunkett Foundation to run a trial programme that aims to save 50 pubs over the next three years. This organisation has already had some success in saving village shops. Communities who want to rescue their pubs will receive grants but will also be expected to raise their own finance through share issues. The full launch of this scheme is now on hold until after the election.

When Victoria and Patrick took over the Bagby Inn they made a number of improvements to the interior. Then they opened a sweet shop within the pub. This has gone down well with the village's younger residents, many of whom drop in on their way home from school. It's also been a surprise hit with pub regulars too, many of whom ask for a 1 mixed bag of sweets to take home with them at the end of the evening. Victoria also opened a convenience store within the pub, where residents can stock up on essential items, such as milk, sugar and toilet roll. There has been so much demand that she had to expand and now sells a much broader range of items, including meat and vegetables.

Another new addition has been a tearoom that opens from 11am until 4pm daily, offering cream teas and homemade cakes.

The pub also provides a takeaway service for those who call in for a drink and want to take a meal home with them. If you want it brought to your door, no problem. "We'll also deliver meals to older residents who struggle to get out and about," adds Victoria. "That was really popular during the bad weather in the past few months."

Starting a parcel delivery service has proved to be a winner with residents who are out at work during the day. Victoria and Patrick will accept people's parcels for them and will collect them from the sorting office if they miss the postman.

"So many pubs are going out of business because of the effects of Government taxes and competition from the large chains of pubs," says Victoria.

"We've been trying hard to find ways to build up the business and it does feel like we're getting there now. I think there's scope to develop the range of services that we provide even further in the future."

Plunkett Foundation inquiries: tel 01993 810730 or [email protected]