A new grocery store and coffee shop at the Marquis of Granby in Granby, Nottinghamshire, is proving a popular lifeline for local residents.
The pub is owned by wife and husband team Sara Barton and Sean McArdle, who also run the Brewster’s Brewery at Grantham, and is run by manager Adam Purcell.
The store and coffee shop were opened with the expert help and a Community Services Fund grant from Pub is The Hub, the not-for-profit organisation that helps pubs to diversify and provide essential local services.
The Dragon Street Store and Coffee Shop were opened to support people living in Granby and the surrounding villages as it is a 9-mile round trip to the nearest supermarket and transport links are limited in the area.
The shop, which opens during the pub hours in the week of 4pm to 9pm and 10am to 10pm at weekends, offers a range of essentials such as bread, milk, cheese as well as its own Brewster’s Brewery beers. The coffee shop currently opens at weekends between 10am to4pm offering coffee from local roaster 200 Degrees and cakes from Bristol-based baker Cakesmiths.
Sara said: “It has been such a challenging time for local people and the village store and coffee shop is proving to be such a lifeline. It is great to see members of the community come together for a coffee or tea and to socialise at the weekends.”
She added: “We have had such great support and positive feedback from local residents to the shop. The brilliant thing is that we also have lots of customers coming into the shop from the neighbouring villages who are also without any local shop.”
Pub is The Hub regional advisor Nigel Williams said: “Both the grocery store and coffee shop are much needed in this area which has very limited local amenities. The village store has been great in helping to support those living locally and the coffee shop is really key in proving an opportunity for local people to connect and socialise.”
He added: “The pub is proving to be a hub for the local area and not just the village of Granby.”
Editor’s Notes
Pub is The Hub is a not-for-profit organisation, which offers independent specialist advice to publicans on rural services diversification or the options for the community ownership of pubs, so they can all provide viable local services at the heart of their community.
With a proven track record of rural project development and delivery over the last 19 years, Pub is The Hub has worked with great publicans to open shops, libraries, cafes, community cinemas, allotments, play areas and much more. Since 2013, the organisation has also been able to offer small grants through its Community Services Fund.
Pub is The Hub has helped over 600 pubs diversify, with over 170 of these benefitting from help through the Community Services Fund.
Building on its community services work, in 2018 Pub is The Hub conceived its ‘Join Inn – Last Orders for Loneliness’ campaign. ‘Join Inn’, specifically looks to support publicans and their communities to become better connected, helping local people feel less isolated and, in the process helping to alleviate loneliness.
Website: www.pubisthehub.org.uk
Twitter: @PubistheHub_uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pubisthehub
Press release from Pub is the Hub
Contact: michelleperrett@