21st July 2010

Tony Baldry says Butchers Arms is at heart of community.

Proud of Pubs Week, which started on 19 July, kicked off in Oxfordshire when North Oxfordshire MP Tony Baldry visited a Hook Norton pub. Mr Baldry visited the Butchers Arms, Balscote, near Banbury, a small tenanted pub which is run by the Thompson family, to learn at firsthand the issues being faced by people running rural pubs.

Mr Baldry said in many villages and communities a local pub is an essential part of community life. Mr Baldry praised the Hook Norton Brewery and their tenants for their work supporting community pubs. "When I visited the Butchers Arms I saw it was a pub which is very much at the heart of the village." said Tony Baldry.

"In Banburyshire, which is, after all, the home of the Hook Norton Brewery, people understandably take these matters seriously and in many villages and communities the local pub is an essential part of community life," he said. Hook Norton Managing Director James Clarke said: "Hook Norton's community pubs are vital to the towns, villages and country areas they serve.

They are where people meet and socialise, and they promote responsible and sensible drinking. "They raise thousands of pounds annually for local charities and provide the warm welcome and friendly atmosphere that brings people together every night of the week. "With the closure of local shops and post offices the pub is often the only place where a community can meet together.

Pubs are truly at the heart of many communities. "Yet, high levels of taxation and competition from cheap alcohol sold in supermarkets, is making life very difficult for the independent business people who run our pubs.

Proud of Pubs is an ongoing national campaign organised which aims to spread the positive word about the pub trade. Established in 2005 by trade magazine. The Publican magazine, the campaign has sought to engage with politicians, the public and pubs themselves to promote the simple message that pubs are good. Pictured