Leader: Spirit of the local

Published 18 Jun 2009 15:51 3 Comments

WHENEVER the nation"s in trouble and its morale is low, the call goes out for large helpings of community spirit.

Equally, when a neighbourhood becomes run down, crime-ridden and lacking in direction, the experts invariably blame the absence of that self-same community spirit.

So often the focus for the kindling of community spirit is a local pub where either the atmosphere or the wares are capable of turning ordinary folk into philosophers, poets, scholars and gossips, creating lifelong friendships, loyal bonds and providing support for even the most obscure charitable cause.

Whether it be the Rover"s Return and Woolpack of television fiction, or The Beehive at Upper Basildon, The Bear in Tilehurst and now The Jolly Anglers in Newtown, those pubs epitomise community spirit.

In some cases pensioners would barely talk to anyone at all if they didn"t drop into their local, certain neighbours wouldn"t ever communicate if not propped up against a bar, and where else can you go to escape the spouse/partner/kids/gardening/decorating/telly?

Maybe the pub companies and licensing authorities now take it as read that we all want to pay a small fortune in taxi fares for the deafening and dubious privilege of drinking exotic potions in a converted bank building under the understanding gaze of CCTV cameras and neckless bouncers.

They are very much mistaken.

The disappearance of pubs like The Jolly Anglers is an ongoing tragedy for communities like Newtown. With the experts warning about the fatal consequences of binge drinking at home, it is significant that there"s barely a pub within anyone"s walking distance in Whitley.

It"s no use the politicians, businessmen and town planners just squawking about community spirit. It"s high time they started doing something about it.

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• 

  C Marsden
  Unregistered User
  Jul 9, 12:13
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  Great article. I think you've hit several nails on the head here. Not least, how vitally important it is to have places in our communities where neighbours, old and young, can meet and talk to each other.
  
  Recommend?   Yes 0     No 0

• 

  Colm Daly
  Unregistered User
  Jul 9, 15:05
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  Social commentators after the London bombings 7th July 2005 have been saying our communities are fragmenting into enclaves and I agree. When egalitarian places like pubs are closed (where everyone irrespective of age, colour, creed or race are welcome), we lose forever that fragile thread of cohesion. No number of day centres or youth centres can repair the damage, and they cost to operate while pubs are self-funding. Neither will facilities like toilets or a wash basin or even a cup of water for the pedestrian be made available by our councils in their place. How many Reading Borough Council departments affected by these changes have spoken up?.....none!
  
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• 

  susie
  Unregistered User
  Jul 10, 19:00
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  let's not go too over the top!
  
  Recommend?   Yes 0     No 0

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