More local services will soon be housed in pubs across rural England as the Big Lottery Fund today announces funding to help public houses offer much more to their communities than a 'pie and a pint'.

A grant of over £470,000 has been awarded to Pub is the Hub, a not-for-profit organisation that helps support the needs of communities. The grant will be used to offer independent, specialist advice on community ownership and the diversification of pubs to provide local services, such as village shops, Post Office services, IT training, school meals or community centres.

The grant is one of 69 being announced today from BIG's Reaching Communities programme, as the Lottery good cause distributor invests over £18.8 million across England to improve local communities and the lives of those most in need.

Pub is the Hub will use its grant over three-years to establish and run a Community Champion training programme. The programme will enable 30 opportunities for local people and licensees to become actively involved in their communities as volunteers to help develop and deliver new services from the pub.

Regional Advisors will also be employed to provide advice and support to communities, licensees and other organisations, as well as overseeing the development of pub-based activities and the training of the volunteers.

The two main aims of the scheme are to improve access to services in rural communities; and to support licensees with the sustainability of village pubs.

Pub is the Hub will specifically target small, remote rural villages in 30 locations in Cheshire, Cumbria, Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Devon and Cornwall. Each village will be selected because it has a pub but no village hall or alternative facilities, with the nearest community services over two miles away.

John Longden, Pub is the Hub director, said: "Pub is the Hub is very grateful to the Big Lottery Fund for supporting our commitment to servicing the needs of local residents, communities and economies across the UK. This grant will ensure we can continue our work creating thriving local communities with viable, vibrant pubs at their heart."

Sanjay Dighe, chair of the Big Lottery Fund's England Committee, said: "Public houses sit at the heart of rural communities so can be ideally placed to deliver a range of services to local people. This is particularly true when the nearest alternative facilities can be miles away.

"The Big Lottery Fund is all about improving communities and the lives of people most in need, Pub is The Hub will do just that by providing the advice and guidance needed to help introduce local services to rural village pubs."

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