David Metcalfe, Landlord of the Holly Bush Inn recently went to see Dame Ellen MacArthur of the Circular Economy Foundation on the Isle of Wight.
On the way home, he called round to see George Monbiot and Natalie Hanman of the Environmental Department of the Guardian News Paper. Britain’s pubs took a severe hammering in 2023 when more closed than in any other year on record.
This is largely due to the supermarkets and retail chains being in a race to the bottom of the barrel between themselves at the expense of everyone else around them.
Dave realises that our pubs are one of the best examples of a circular economy in our country. Beer is served in beer gasses, which are reused. These are, in turn, filled from kegs, which are reused repeatedly, with virtually no waste. This is a circular economy in the truest sense.
This is all in direct contrast to the supermarkets and retail chains where beer is sold in cans and bottles. They must be recycled every time someone finishes with them.
Help Save Our Environment
In the current climate crisis, this very wasteful practice releases a vast quantity of CO2 into the Environment every year that must stop. Dave believes that significantly reducing the price of a pint will provide positive help with the climate crisis.
Mr Metcalfe hopes that by drawing people’s attention to the positive environmental aspect of saving our local pubs across the UK, the UK Government will start to listen. Changing the tax regime on beer sales, will help save our environment and our local pubs.
Mr Metcalfe has also been in touch with the BII, the British Institute of Innkeepers. He is hoping that the Steve Alton of the BII will be speaking to Kevin Hollinrake of the UK Government. Kevin is the Minister for Enterprise, Markets and Small Businesses.
Best Bus Stop Competition
The drive to get a full bus stop at the Holly Bush Inn in Cefn Mawr continues. Dave has now introduced an incentive scheme for bus drivers to stop and allow passengers to alight or get on the bus at the top of this hill, rather than make them walk up the hill: FREE BEERs for off-duty bus drivers!
Dave and the team are hoping for some support from the councils in the Best Bus Stop competition. As Dave says, “Who knows? We may get lucky”.
This work will be on display in the Ebenezer Climate Crisis Mitigation Centre. Which will open in May, and perhaps at the only bus stop serving the main street, doctor’s surgery and pharmacy.
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