Community spirit

Rural pubs across Britain are closing at an alarming rate - but local people are fighting back to save inns that have been at the hearts of their villages for centuries. Vivienne Crow orders a pint

- Vivienne Crow

It's a lively Friday evening in the Mardale Inn in Bampton, Cumbria. Dozens of hungry walkers are refuelling after a long day walking in the Lake District, while Halloween has also brought out families keen to avoid the trick-or-treaters at home.

The Mardale Inn at St Patrick's Well, in the Lake District's Lowther Valley, closed in 2018 after serving the community for generations. But local people were inspired to turn the situation around.

“Our fundraising target was £580,000, to cover the £350,000 purchase of the pub and to carry out renovations,” explains Phil Sweetland, chair of Bampton Valley Community Pub Limited. “We had hoped to be a good candidate for the Community Ownership Fund, but that didn’t transpire.” However, after raising £400,000 through the share offer, the group was able to refurbish the bar and do some decorating, reopening the pub for drinks in July 2022.

Thanks to £25,000 from what is now The Royal Countryside Fund, the kitchen was then opened. The old Eden District Council, now part of Westmorland and Furness Council, gave £65,000, enabling refurbishment of the bedrooms. And a COP26 grant funded a 22-panel solar array and battery, saving about £250 each month on energy bills.

The Mardale Inn tells an uplifting story of cooperation and revival, but the wider picture is bleak. According to figures from the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), last year, one pub closed almost every day in England, Wales and Scotland. BBPA, representing both pubs and breweries, estimates that a further 378 will have closed by the end of this year. It cites rising energy bills, higher staff costs and tax and regulatory burdens as reasons behind many of the closures, noting that pubs make an average profit of just 12p on a pint of beer.