The George, Bethersden's community-owned pub, has built a pétanque pitch in its beer garden for all ages and disabled players, and plans a Kent league team.
The George in Bethersden, the village pub its regulars bought after it closed during Covid, has built a pétanque pitch at the end of its beer garden, and is already planning to enter a team in the Kent Pétanque League next year.
The pitch was paid for with a grant from Pub is The Hub, the not-for-profit that advises publicans on running services from their pubs, through the Hospitality Support Fund of the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade. The pub says it was designed to bring people of all ages together, including people with a disability, and that villagers are already using it for regular group sessions as well as people stopping in for a meal or a drink.
Why the pub wanted it
Colin Clifton, chair of The George Ltd, the community benefit society that owns the pub, said:
“The addition of the pétanque pitch is helping to support the wellbeing of local people, including people with mobility challenges. It’s providing another positive way for villagers and people from neighbouring areas to connect around a shared interest.”
He added:
“The pitch is also helping to encourage new people to visit The George, who enjoy having some of the pub’s wonderful food and drink before or after a game. It’s been a great addition to the pub’s offer.”
A pub run by the village
The George is a 17th century pub. Locals campaigned to raise the money to buy it after it shut during Covid, formed The George Ltd to run it, and reopened it in the summer of 2023. A committee of six volunteers manages the business, with two supervisors and a head chef running it day to day.
It now runs a community café, which opened in 2023 with equipment paid for by an earlier Pub is The Hub grant. The café hosts a weekly Knit & Natter group and a Chatty Café session.
Beyond the café, the pub lists a monthly quiz, music bingo and live music nights, a beer festival, Oktoberfest, a Halloween trail coming up, and a Christmas carol sing-along for adults and children. It has its own pool and darts teams, and a secure children’s play area with a table tennis table and garden games. The pub says it has been listed in CAMRA’s Good Pub Guide for the third year running, in the 2027 edition.
What the funders say
Tim Tempest, regional advisor for Pub is The Hub, said:
“The new pitch has added another accessible and physical outdoor activity to the range of excellent activities already hosted within the pub, including at its thriving community café.
“It’s really positive to see that it’s already proving so beneficial to local people.”
The government’s Hospitality Support Fund is meant to help rural pubs take on new services so they stay open as community assets. Kate Dearden, Minister for the Future of Work, said:
“Rural pubs like The George are vital to communities like Bethersden. Whether it’s by creating jobs or providing locals with important public services and activities, it’s crucial for them to have a place to come together and socialise.
“This is exactly why we are working to secure the future of rural pubs and venues through our Hospitality Support Fund. On top of the £4.3bn support package announced last year, we’ve slashed business rates for pubs by 15% and are boosting this to 20% from April.”
Pub is The Hub says it has helped more than 600 pubs add services such as shops, libraries, cafés and play areas, and more than 285 of them have had money from its Community Services Fund, which it has run since 2013. Details are on its website.
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