Campaign To Save Britain's Pubs Is Launched

A fightback against the increasing number of British pub closures is under way.

Camra, the Campaign for Real Ale , has launched a new initiative called Community Pubs Month.

The aim is to re-establish the pub at the centre of community life and persuade landlords around the country to look at different ways to attract new customers.

Spokesman Martyn Herbert told Sky News: "The days where you just open the doors and people would walk in for a drink or a meal have gone really. 

"People need to be drawn to the pub, so you have to be very imaginative."

Camra says 4,500 British pubs have had to close their doors in the past four years.

Attempts have been made to reopen some, but not all with success and currently around 16 pubs a week are failing.

If the trend continues we could see 40,000 local pubs disappear by 2060.

At the Pheasant Inn at Toddington, Gloucestershire, farm animals are on display in the car park. 

It forms only one part of the pub's efforts to bring in more families.

Landlord Sam Keeley said: "We offer as many community events as we possibly can.

"We have got the sheep on display, we have ducklings from the local farm and we are offering a free minibus service to our customers.

"If they want to come and have a drink and meal they don't have to worry about getting an expensive taxi fare home. We are also opening a food store adjacent to the pub."

Camra blames part of the pub closure problem on the big pub companies and their policies with tenants.

Robin Carter is bucking the trend at the Royal Union, a free house in Cheltenham.

His business is booming, but he is aware of the pressures some landlords are under.

"I am lucky enough to own the freehold of this pub but I had leases with the large pub companies in the past. It does make it very difficult to be successful. 

"I think one of the reasons for that is the pub companies give pubs to people who have the money and they don't really care whether that person is going to be successful there."

The power of the big pub companies is only one factor affecting the future of the British pub.

Many that do survive may be unrecognisable to the real traditionalists.