Local people making their corner of rural Britain unique
This week
SaturdayÌý24th May
Repeated ThursdayÌý29th May
Helen Mark visits a family pub in Ripponden, West Yorkshire to find out how they keep running against a tide of village pub closures.
According to the 'British Beer and Pub Association', village pubs are in crisis with nearly four closing a day due to the lowest beer sales since the Great Depression of the 1930s and spiraling running costs. For this weeks Open Country, Helen Mark visits Ripponden to find out how one family run pub is bucking the trend, holding onto its popularity and continuing to serve its local community.
The Old Bridge Inn is managed by Tim and Lindsey Eaton-Walker and and has been in their family for three generations. It is home to , a group of local men who have gathered at The Old Bridge Inn on a Saturday night for over twenty years. Alongside their regular meetings they have also established a yearly tasting festival in celebration of the humble pork pie.
Tim and Lindsey’s pub also supports local suppliers, stocking a range of guest beers from nearby micro breweries and sourcing food from local butchers and grocers. And last but not least, they are a home-from-home for many of their regulars, who have shared birthdays, anniversaries and life stories over a pint or two. They share their views as to why local village pubs up and down the country are vital to the communities that they serve.
The Â鶹ԼÅÄ is not responsible for the content of external sites
Contact us
If you know a special place in the U.K. countryside rich in natural history, history and landscape features then pleaseÌýdoÌýÌýcontact us
