29 Market Street, Tamworth, B79 7LR
Albion Road, Marden, TN12 9DT
Riviera Centre, Torquay
11-13 April 2025
23 Haltwhistle Road, South Woodham Ferrers, CM3 5ZA
Unit 11, Valley Point Industrial Estate, Beddington Farm Road, Beddington, CR0 4WP
Argyle Place, Love Road, Lowestoft, NR32 2NZ
116, Foregate Street, Chester, Chester, CH1 2HH
Pubs are the heart of local communities.
Pubs are one of the few remaining places we can meet people in a relaxed, social environment outside of the home. With community centres up and down the country closing, pubs offer a vital hub for locals to get together as a community. Pubs are also taking an active role in tackling loneliness – whether that’s running lunch groups, chatting to regulars or just providing a place for people to meet.
In addition, many community pubs in rural settings are stepping up to fill services lacking in the local area, such as running post offices, village shops, cinema rooms and library – going above and beyond just pouring pints!
In 2016 CAMRA commissioned research from Professor Robin Dunbar of Oxford University on the role of pubs at the heart of their community.
The report found that pubs play a key role in facilitating friendships and that those who have a local pub are happier, more trusting and better connected to their community.
Pubs and pub-going offer a huge range of social and wellbeing benefits, and CAMRA believes these benefits should be open to everyone.
Browse the links to find out more about our campaigning, and learn about the past and the future of how pubs support their communities.
Loneliness can affect anyone at anytime in their life, and many of us experienced loneliness for the first time during lockdowns and the pandemic. These experiences have opened up the national conversation around loneliness like never before.
Pubs have always been places of refuge, from chatty table schemes to free Christmas dinners, comedy evenings, quiz nights and more, there are fantastic stories around from the country. Day to day, licensees and their staff provide stability and regular conversation for many who experience loneliness and social isolation. The ‘Friends on Tap’ report commissioned by CAMRA even found that people feel generally more comfortable about strangers after a pint in their local
We’ve all had a day brightened up by a spontaneous chat with a stranger, and whether you plan to catch up with an old friend or get to know someone new, there’s no better venue than your local pub or social club.
Highstreets across the UK are changing, with the pandemic accelerating the trend for services being moved online and social public spaces being lost. This is why it’s more important than ever that we continue to campaign to protect, support and celebrate the local pub.
If you need support, please check out resources provided by the Campaign to End Loneliness or contact your GP for information on what’s available in your local area.
Find out more about the fight against loneliness and social isolation with our friends at the Campaign to End Loneliness, or find your nearest CAMRA event to head out and meet new people.
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