Fylde coast pub-goers say new report shows 'the local' needs extra support due to vital role in preventing isolation

With doors closed amid the third coronavirus lockdown, regulars say that the Government must show, more support to hostelries as their value to the community goes beyond the contribution they make to the economy.

Real ale supporter group, the Campaign for Real Ale, said a new report form Loughborough University highlights pubs' importance in communities in providing a place where people living alone can meet friends and others.

The report, The Open Arms: The Role of Pubs in Tackling Loneliness, claims pubs and bars are an important part of a community’s infrastructure, just like libraries, cafés and community centres and should be given extra support in next month's Budget so that they are able to open and thrive again when the pandemic subsides.

Steve Norris, landlord at the multi-award winning pub The Taps in Lytham, agreed with the report and said without pubs many people will be left alone in their homes without vital social contact which can bring on mental health issues and anxiety.

He said: "There are quite a lot of vulnerable people out there who are lonely and for whom pubs are important places that they can go a meet other people. It should not be underestimated how much of a problem there can be with anxiety, depression and mental health problems. Loneliness increases that.

"We get a lot of different kinds of people coming in the Taps, different age groups, occupations, interests. It is very diverse and that can be stimulating for people. Many of the regulars live alone and treat the pub as a second home. They are not just coming for a drink, it might just be to read a newspaper or just to get out of their house. It is very much a hub of our local community.

"It is important that it feels safe and comfortable. We have people who are 70 plus as well as young people and many come in by themselves, men and women, to meet others for company.

"It is not just the customers, our team here is close knit and I have been trying throughout lockdown to keep in touch with everyone on social media. My team is very diverse too, college and university students, and those for whom it is a full time job and sole source of income. So lockdown has had a huge impact on them too.

"I telephone some of the regulars to keep in touch and we have social media groups. We have a Friday quiz on zoom with 15 teams at the moment and people are always telling me to keep it all going."

Retired art teacher Tony Fowler, who has been a regular at The Taps for 40 years, said: "It's a great place, like a second home.I come for the quizes as Steve is a great quizmaster. You get to talk to all sorts of people. You get visitors from the USA thanks to the golf, and a real mix of ages. I see so many ex-pupils there. Everyone says what a great atmosphere it has.

"It is a really important part of my life and I miss it terribly. I know there will be people feeling the same way about their locals right across the country. I am looking forward to the day when the pubs and other businesses are back open."

Bernard Johnson, a manager at the Clifton Arms Hotel, has been going to The Taps for 45 years. He said: "It is such a homely place with a great set of regulars to chat with. For people like me who live alone, there is a very important social aspect to going to the pub, to meet different people.

"I really miss the chat with my old friends and finding out what is going on.The pub is a focal point in any community and we need to preserve them. The atmosphere is great and it is important for such things as club day."

Rick Pickup from the Blackpool, Fylde and Wyure branch of CAMRA said: "While Covid-19 has forced many of us to swap from a pint of a locally produced beer in the pub for a can of mass-produced beer from a multi-national company bought at a supermarket to drink at home, there has been a hidden effect on the drinker.

"It has been estimated that loneliness can be as damaging as smoking 15 cigarettes a day and is a growing epidemic with estimates suggest that more than two million people over 50 are faced with social isolation.

"Pubs play an incredibly important role in combating loneliness. Publicans and their staff provide stability and regular human contact for many people who experience loneliness and

social isolation. Many pubs will also host events to encourage social interaction.

"It is also important to remember how vital social groups, including local CAMRA branches, are in tackling loneliness. Something as simple as a live music night or a comedy evening can encourage people to leave the confinements of home and socialise with others. These are the type of events that thrive in the less formal atmosphere of a pub.

Alex Huckerby who has the Marvin's bars in Poulton and said: "A lot of our regulars message us on social media and we know how much they miss meeting people and chatting. A lot of them live alone and the bars were their social life.

"We have been doing various things to keep in touch, quizes, dance evenings so people can join in and dance at home. But it is important for people to interact socially and everyone is looking forward to reopening. But that has to happen only when it is safe to do so. We do not want to be in the position of opening only to have to close once more. That would be costly and damaging to many businesses."

CAMRA National Chairman Nik Antona said: "Our pubs provide a safe, regulated environment in which to relax with a drink and mix with people of other age groups and backgrounds - and are often the only place left for people in many communities to meet. Yet too many had already closed even before COVID, with the coronavirus crisis put tens of thousands more at risk of permanent closure.

“It is vital that governments across the UK recognise the role that pubs will play as part of our social fabric, bringing people back together after this pandemic, and take action now to save our pubs.

“The Chancellor’s upcoming Budget is the perfect opportunity to commit to a long-term financial support package for pubs and breweries to see them through the tough months ahead. Pubs need greater help to get back on their feet again, which can be achieved by ending unfair and un-evidenced restrictions like the ‘substantial meal’ requirement once they are allowed to re-open.”

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