Pub landlords in north Dorset are issuing a plea for locals and visitors to support their pubs this winter.


Steve Dunk from the Milton Arms in Winterborne Whitechurch, a well-run local pub serving delicious food, said: “We may not make it through the winter. We need all the support we can get from both customers and the government to help us through this.” And Steve is not alone. Many landlords across the county say trade is dismal and the future of the traditional pub looks bleak. The pill is even more bitter as pub tills are usually ringing louder than ever over the Christmas season.

As north Dorset wrestles with Tier 2 restrictions following the second lockdown, the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) is urging locals to “spare a thought for our pubs.”
Chairman of the north Dorset group of the CPRE Rupert Hardy said both village shops and pubs are the “beating hearts of our community” and it was “blatantly unfair” that rural Dorset was in Tier 2 when it had one of the lowest infection rates in England. He said: “We have been actively supporting our local food and drink producers, as well as our village shops and pubs through these difficult times.”

“Both village shops and pubs are the beating hearts of our rural communities.
Village shops may have benefited from increased trade during lockdown, but many pubs are haemorrhaging. Other pubs are threatened similarly, as is all the hospitality sector. Please visit our pubs allowing for Tier 2 restrictions, and also take advantage of their takeaway offerings.”

Rupert added: “It is not too late but many pubs are on the brink of closure so please act now and support them. Please support our Dorset communities. Please save our Dorset pubs.”

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