A Wales licensee has used a visit to 10 Downing Street to stress to the prime minister the importance of pubs to the communities they support.
Rhiannon Metters (left) presents prime minister Sir Kier Starmer with a Pub is The Hub apron at Downing Street. Photograph: Simon Dawson/No 10 Downing Street
Rhiannon Metters, from The Halfway in Tal-y-Coed, had joined five other artisan food producers and creative retailers for a Christmas market-style showcase hosted by Sir Kier ahead of Small Business Saturday.
Rhiannon, along with her son Ben, hosted a Christmas stall inside the prime minister’s residence, showcasing the activities that the pub hosts to bring people together in this isolated rural community.
She chatted with him, highlighting the important impact the pub has on community cohesion and helping local people to overcome loneliness and social isolation.
As the hub of this rural area, where many residents, including farmers, live and work alone, The Halfway provides essential opportunities for social interaction. With support from Pub is The Hub, the pub has opened a village store and a community marquee.
Rhiannon said: “From a pint by the fire to wreath-making in the marquee, from the village shop to live music and shared skills, everything we do is about bringing people together, tackling loneliness and social isolation, supporting local makers, and giving our little corner of Monmouthshire a place to gather, laugh, learn, and belong.”
