Lincolnshire Pub Creates Community Café To Overcome Social Isolation
A village pub in Skellingthorpe, Lincolnshire is strengthening its role as a vital social hub with the launch of a new community café.
Publican Georgina Ford recently took over The Plough bringing the pub back to life as the hub of the area for local residents.
As part of her focus on supporting the local community a room adjacent to the bar has been transformed into a designated community café area where local people can meet, socialise and make connections.
It has already proved popular, attracting new people into the pub and encouraging young, old, families and groups to come together to help combat loneliness and social isolation.
Open from Wednesday to Saturday, the community café serves homemade cakes, including Caramel Shortcakes and Lemon drizzle along with coffee, tea and a range of soft drinks.
With expert guidance and access to a grant from Pub is The Hub, supported by the Department for Business, Innovation Science & Trade (BIST), the pub has been able to broaden its appeal to the community and support local people.
The project has been supported by the BIST as part of its Hospitality Support Fund, which aims to strengthen rural and remote communities by helping pubs diversify and remain sustainable community assets.
Georgina said: “The community café has been welcomed by local people. We have already seen a lot of ladies coming into the pub because they feel it’s a safe environment.
“We have more people coming into the pub to use the café and have exciting plans to develop this area especially during the winter months.”
Pub is The Hub regional advisor Terry Stork said: “Georgina has focused on bringing this pub back serving its local community. This is a great pub that is able to bring people together in this friendly and social space.”
Minister for the Future of Work Kate Dearden said: “Rural pubs like The Plough are vital to communities like Skellingthorpe. Whether it’s by creating jobs or providing locals with important public services and activities, it’s crucial for them to have a place to come together and socialise.
“This is exactly why we are working to secure the future of rural pubs and venues through our Hospitality Support Fund. On top of the £4.3bn support package announced last year, we’ve slashed business rates for pubs by 15% and are boosting this to 20% from April.”