British pubs are closing and disappearing
An assignment for Svenska Dagbladet about British Pubs that are closing at an alarming rate.
A hundred years ago, there were close to 100,000 pubs in Great Britain. In 2021, there were just over 37,500 pubs left. In 2022, over 1,000 pubs were forced to close. This year, around 20 pubs per week have collapsed.
There are a number of reasons behind why pub closures have escalated in 2023 | People are buying more cheeper alcohol in shops with less tax rather than in a pub | Younger people drink significantly less alcohol than older generations | 2 years of Covid restrictions | The current cost of the living & energy crisis | Pubs often sit on prime locations and are being sold and converted into housing and other commercial projects such as shops & supermarkets.
Community owned pubs are bucking the trend of closure
For most British people the news of the many pub closures is disheartening as pub life and its community spirt has been the backbone of the British way of life for generations. There is however hope for how pubs can stop disappearing from the community with the appearance of Community Pubs.
We visited The Swan in Clewer, in Berkshire and met with Landlord (General Manager) Micky Foden-Andrews. The Swan is a sucess story where the locally community rallied around when their 300 year old pub closed and with over 200 local investors the pub has been has been renovated and remains to be the centre of the community and is now a thriving Community Pub.
Links:
The Campaign for Pubs
Campaign for Real Ale & Community Pub Ownership
