Last Orders to Save Rural Hospitality - Guest Blog from Plunkett UK
Plunkett currently supports over 360 community-owned hospitality business and have a similar number in the pipeline, exploring community ownership. It has delivered more than 500 hours of specialist support to hospitality groups this year alone.
Boarded-up pub buildings and overgrown beer gardens are becoming an all-too-common sight in neighbourhoods across the country.
Official figures confirm 366 pubs closed for good in 2025, with industry modelling warning that up to 540 more could disappear this year with rising costs, changing consumer behaviour and business rates increases push venues to the brink.
Local communities suffer hugely if they lose their pubs, along with other hospitality businesses such as cafes and restaurants.
Closures of essential services put people in rural areas at greater risk of isolation, particularly those experiencing poverty, disability, and poor health. This often forces them to leave their community that is part of their identity, and sense of belonging.
If these life-changing rural businesses are to be saved, community ownership is the answer.
The charity, Plunkett UK, saves rural hospitality businesses by enabling communities to own and run them. These pubs are owned and controlled by community members, where membership is open to anyone at accessible prices, and all members have equal and democratic say in how the business is run.
Plunkett currently supports over 360 community-owned hospitality business and have a similar number in the pipeline, exploring community ownership. It has delivered more than 500 hours of specialist support to hospitality groups this year alone.
Community-owned pubs are the fastest growing type of community business and there were 24 new trading community pubs across 2025, almost double that from 2024. They have a five‑year survival rate of 97.5% and a long‑term survival rate of 94%, far outstripping the wider hospitality sector.
These community‑owned venues keep people connected, create local jobs, support the rural economy and offer the only warm, welcoming space many villages have left. However, the wider pressures faced by rural hospitality businesses are driving many community-owned pubs to breaking point.
Huw Jones, from Ty'n Llan community pub, Llandwrog in North Wales, says: “When we heard the pub was going on the market, there was a real sense of urgency – no one wanted to see it turned into a private house and lost to the community forever. A pub like this, which is a social hub for all, can be the beating heart of a community.”
Viki Carpenter at the Prince of Wales community pub, Newtown in Cornwall, says, “Three years ago we saved our local pub. The team at Plunkett UK supported our group from the very start, and it would not have been possible without them. We cannot thank them enough.”
To help the charity meet the growing demand from rural hospitality when its support is needed most, Plunkett UK is today launching a Save Rural Hospitality Crowdfunder.
It aims to raise vital funds to provide rapid‑response support when a pub or café is at risk - funding emergency advice, business planning and specialist guidance to help communities buy and run their local as a multi‑service hub.
For instance, the cost of coffee and cake could help pay for an expert adviser to provide a business healthcheck, ensuring the security and viability of the community hub. And the cost of a round of drinks could help fund a phone call between a community in crisis and our helpline adviser.
Our overlooked rural communities are in crisis: and Plunkett UK needs your help. To find out more go to https://plunkett.co.uk/save-rural-hospitality/
