Rural services and enterprise

The highly successful Pub is the Hub scheme was set up in 2001 by 'The Prince's Rural Action Programme' at Business in the Community.  The aim is to encourage breweries, managers, landlords and local communities to use their entrepreneurial skills, together with resources available to them, to help to retain and enhance vital rural services, bolster the rural economy and at the same time benefit the local community.

Pubs perform a vital business role at the heart of rural communities across the country. They also provide an important social facility, as well as offering employment opportunities and adding to the attractiveness of an area for visitors.
The loss of the local pub can often affect the quality of life as a focal point for the community disappears, as well as leaving a gap in the local economy.

Pub is the Hub, with the help of Diageo, Scottish and Newcastle, Enterprise Inns, Punch Taverns, Post Office and Jennings has managed to encourage diversification amongst village pubs, allowing them to adapt to a changing rural business environment and becoming the indispensable focal point of the local community, by providing services such as a village shop, Post Office or internet hub.

To date around 360 pubs have been helped to diversify and offer a wider range of community services by the scheme.

Please see the Pub is the Hub website for more details of previous case studies and to find out how you can get involved.

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ProHelp is a national network of over 800 professional firms, including SME's, who are committed to making a difference in their local community by providing free advice and support to community groups and voluntary organisations.  ProHelp operates through 33 local groups in city, urban and rural locations enabling professional firms to work together in supporting the communities in which they operate.

Firms include solicitors, accountants, surveyors, architects, marketing and communication agencies communication.  Visit ProHelp to find out how you can get involved.

To date, ProHelp has concentrated in the following locations:
Norfolk, Suffolk, Lincolnshire & Rutland, Cumbria, Gloucestershire, Devon, Cornwall, North Yorkshire, North Wales, South Wales, Northern Ireland.

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It is vital for the voluntary sector to continue to innovate to increase impact and seek alternative sources of income and resources for their work. Defra asked Business in the Community and ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England) to help 10 rural community councils across England to build their capacity to engage with the private sector. The result is a very useful toolkit that is available for download.

Rural Community Council Toolkit (799 kb)

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