Communities raising the bar to keep spirits up

It’s safe to say we can’t wait for this to all be over! Thoughts of finishing work on a Friday and heading straight to the pub, or spending time with your family on a Sunday with a Roast have been keeping us going.

Mid-week catch ups with friends, pub quizzes and Saturday night celebrations have truly been missed over the last 10 months.

The usual places for us to socialise, see and connect with people have been removed, and one of the key places for millions of Brits to do so is the Great British pub. As a result of the pandemic more than 300* pubs have been permanently closed, and many more fear the same fate with on-going restrictions in place.

Brits have been affected physically, economically, and mentally, with loneliness being a huge concern across communities. A new report launched today, the Open Arms Report, reveals that 86% of those surveyed said that when the pubs closed their local communities suffered.

Aston spoke to Dr Thomas Thurnell-Read, sociology lecturer and writer of the Open Arms Report to discuss the report and its findings in relation to the role of pubs in tackling loneliness in society.

Photo by Louis Hansel @shotsoflouis on Unsplash