Des O’Flanagan, co-founder of PubAid, said: “The lockdown has resulted in pubs showing great resilience and resourcefulness. Many have put themselves firmly at the heart of their communities by offering food and drink for collection or delivery and providing social and emotional support with online quizzes, chats and music gigs.
“Their charitable role has continued with many pubs providing free meals for the elderly and homeless. There are many stories of these pub community heroes who are supporting their communities is all sorts of ways. Unfortunately, the closures mean that the £140m raised by pubs for charity and grassroots sport each year will be severely diminished in 2020.”
“It would be good to see the invaluable support that pubs are offering their communities reciprocated in support from Government, so that as many as possible can reopen their doors as soon as it is safe to do so.”