Prince William makes donation to save pub
Prince William has made a donation of £1,000 to a campaign group trying to save their local pub.
Prince William has made a private donation to help save a village pub.
The Prince of Wales handed over £1,000 as he hailed such bars as a "lifeline" in a letter to a campaign group who want to protect the Somerset Arms in Semington, Wiltshire, which is up for sale after being closed for three years.
According to the Daily Telegraph newspaper, he wrote to the Semington Community Benefit Society: “Our pubs have long held a unique place at the heart of British life.
“They are not simply places of hospitality, but vital spaces that bring people together, foster a sense of belonging and support the well-being of local communities.
“In rural areas, they can be a lifeline, helping to combat isolation and sustain local identity. I am very keen to support the role that pubs play, not only as businesses, but as community hubs that contribute so much to the social fabric of our nation.”
William told the campaigners he is looking forward to “coming down to pull a pint and celebrate your success”.
Andy Cobley, the vice chairman of the Semington Community Benefit Society said they were "over the moon" to have received support from the 44-year-old royal.
He said: "We are incredibly excited and stunned. It is brilliant His Royal Highness can recognise what is going on in these small villages and help us out. It’s fantastic.”
The group are aiming to raise £395,000 to buy the Somerset Arms, and so far have received almost £195,000 in pledges and £4,000 in individual donations.
News of the donation comes just two weeks after William insisted "we need to protect our pubs" during a visit to the Prince of Peckham in south east London.
He told a group of regulars at the bar: "I could stay here forever.
"I love pubs. I want to do as much as I can to support them because I love the community.
"We need to protect our pubs.
“It’s the people – the team – around a pub that make it.”
The prince - who has children Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, eight, with wife Catherine, Princess of Wales - praised owner Clem Ogbonnaya.
He added: “It’s a family business which is good, because that makes the pub.”
William surprised residents at the pub, who were there for the weekly Chatty Patty breakfast club, which aims to tackle loneliness and offers free tea for locals, and told them he "grew up in pubs".
During the visit, William received a round of applause and declared his efforts "really good" when he pulled a pint of Red Stripe with the owner, before tucking into jerk chicken and plantain.
He said of the dish: "It blew my mind. I'm hoping Deliveroo can deliver this to Windsor."
Clem believes pubs are "very underused spaces" that can play a key role in bringing communities together, and praised the prince for having "come down here and put something like Chatty Patty on the map".
He added: "We want Chatty Patty to exist not just in Peckham but all around London.
"The key thing he was talking about was how do we, because there are a lot of disenfranchised young black Britons in the country, how do we address that – how do we get more of these spaces with all of this energy, all this love and enthusiasm throughout the whole of London."
And during a trip to Scotland in January, William and Catherine spent time at The Gothenberg pub in former mining village Fallin, where the prince ordered half a pint of cider.
William told a table of local men, including publican Rob Donaldson: “I want to help pubs. This is the best place to come and get to know each other.
"[Pubs are] the heart of the community.
"I grew up in pubs. I absolutely love pubs."
It is estimated one pub a day closed permanently in England and Wales last year, with 15,000 establishments shutting down since 2000.
