Do the same - and expect a different result!

I try to imagine what pubs will be left when the large numbers of closures finally becomes a just steady trickle.

First of all we will have the large pubs in towns and cities the places like Wetherspoon's offering cheap booze, late opening hours and the rest of it.

Second the quintessential pub in a pretty village, wooden beams lumpy walls and tiled floors. A fine example of this would be the Bell at Waltham St Lawrence in Berkshire. I cannot imagine it closing with its fine atmosphere, excellent beers and food.

Third we will have the gastropubs. Some of these are little more than resturants but some are excellent places like the Royal Oak at Ruscombe and the Baskerville Arms, Shiplake.

So what does the future hold for the others? Well as a senior executive in Sun used to say ( he has now left us ) "Do the same thing and expect a different result"

So my advice for these pubs is to try and carve out something to make them stand out. This is the final category of pubs ( apart from those destined to close) that is pubs that ARE doing something different to persuade us to go and visit them. There are some great examples of what you can do it is much more than just running a quiz night every week, or hanging a large LCD screen on the wall with Sky Sports on all the time the pub is open...

The Royal Oak at Ruscombe has a section of its pub stuffed full of what it calls collectables. Also in the main pub are more of these items hanging off the walls and ceilings and scattered around the pub that add character which you can buy! It also means the interior of the pub is undergoing a continual transformation.

The Anchor at Nayland has taken some extraordinary steps to attract and keep its customer base. They have a loyalty card; spend ten pounds and you get a one pound voucher. It works for Tesco and it works for them. They have also given free drink vouchers to Bed and Breakfast accomodation when we arrived at ours in the village we were presented with a voucher that entitled us to our first round free of charge. The pub also has strong links with local suppliers and used to smoke their own meats and fish until the smoker went up in flames on November the 5th - hopefully it won't be long before it is replaced.

I have also seen at least in one pub - The Green Man, Hurst, Berks where you bring in your own produce - and you will get a discount off your bill. A nice idea for you to turn for example a glut of a vegetable at your allotment into a beer or something from the pubs menu.

The Frog at Skirmett has regular 'shop' days where you can buy produce that they use in their kitchen which is local like Venison etc.
A coffee in this pub is made even more enjoable by the addition of home made biscuits.

My favourite pub is in Ashley Hill Forest, the Dew Drop near Burchetts Green, Berks has a free taxi service operating to nearby villages.
A great idea.

So with a bit of British ingenuity I think some pubs that could be faced with closure could stay open and be there for us to enjoy in the future.