Local communities suffer greatly if they lose their pubs, restaurants, cafés and breweries.
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.
Plunkett UK saves rural hospitality businesses by enabling communities to own and run them.
We currently support over 360 community-owned hospitality business and have a similar number in our pipeline.
However, the pressures faced by rural hospitality businesses are driving many to breaking point.
Official figures confirm 366 pubs closed for good in 2025, with industry modelling warning that up to 540 more could disappear this year as rising costs, changing consumer behaviour and business rates increases push venues to the brink.
The issue may be being overlooked politically, but communities will not stand by and watch: their need for support is unprecedented.
Community-owned hospitality includes pubs, cafés, hotels, breweries and distilleries and are a lifeline for people in rural areas, in places where other services have been reduced or cut.
- They provide a sense of identity and belonging; allowing friendships to be nurtured, and people to volunteer and work.
- They improve people’s confidence and develop their skills.
- They offer a safe, welcoming space for social interaction.
- They boost the local economy and care for the environment.
- And they serve great food and drink too!
The effect on individual lives and whole communities in losing these venues would be enormous.
Last Orders to Save Rural Hospitality
Help Plunkett to meet the growing demand from rural hospitality when our support is needed most.
Give to support Plunkett in its critical work. Your donation could help save the heart of a rural community near you.
Donate the cost of…
- Coffee and cake – £10 could help pay for an expert adviser to provide a business healthcheck, ensuring the security and viability of the community hub
- A round of drinks – £20 could help fund a phone call between a community in crisis and our helpline adviser
- Family lunch – £50 could help fund a community business representative attending a dedicated training session
- Meal with friends – £100 could help get a community from crisis point to having their own community-owned business
Our overlooked rural communities are in crisis: we need your help urgently.
Inn This Together
At the end of 2025, Plunkett UK convened an in-person roundtable discussion in Oxfordshire comprising 20 experts and key representatives from the hospitality sector (photo above), with 15 more attending an online session.
These included representatives from the event sponsor, Diageo, plus
- River Cottage
- Stroud Brewery
- Hatch Mansfield
- McFarlane Telfer
- Sidney Phillips
- The Sky Wave Distilling Company
- The Portman Group
- Thomas Franks Ltd
- The Wine Conversation Podcast
- Fusion Labs.
Attendees also included MPs, DEFRA, community businesses, funders and suppliers.
The aim of the meetings, and the core functions for the continued Save Rural Hospitality campaign are to create a taskforce to:
- Secure funding for Plunkett’s core community business advisory service
- Provide bespoke expertise and advice tailored to the needs of sector
- Develop bespoke supplier offers for Plunkett’s community-owned hospitality members
- Increase profile and advocacy of the community-owned hospitality sector
The taskforce will look at the wide-ranging issues affecting hospitality businesses and sought solutions. Topics included operational matters, policy, information and data, membership, social impact, funding, marketing and training – and the variety of delegates ensured perspectives were provided from within and beyond the community ownership sector.
“If we work together, we can ensure that not only do our venues survive, but that they thrive, become more inclusive, more diversified, more connected to their communities and more sustainable for the long term.”
Elisabeth Rochford, Diageo
Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands across spirits and beer categories, sold in nearly 180 countries around the world.
What else is happening?
Anthropy 2026: Plunkett lead a session at Anthropy’s Natonal Gathering for leaders and leading organisations across all sectors in March 2026, entitled, ‘Are we calling last orders on rural youth? Building opportunities through community-owned hospitality’.
A panel of young people shared how community-owned hospitality transformed their lives, as well as their rural communities. There was debate about what more we can do to protect and strengthen the community-owned hospitality sector?
We will share more information from the session shortly.
New Recommended Membership Suppliers are being added to Plunkett’s offer and improved rates for members are being negotiated – news on this to be released shortly.
Get in touch
We are now creating a Hospitality Taskforce – a group of people and businesses who will be helping to drive forward change for community-owned hospitality sector and committed to funding, member support and advocacy.
If you would like to be part of the Taskforce, email Hannah via the button below.
