This week we caught up with Nick and Becky, the owners and friendly faces behind the bar and in the kitchen at The Prince of Wales pub in Haslemere. Their recent fundraising efforts had come to our attention and we wanted to find out more about the people behind the business who are clearly so passionate about supporting the local community.

We popped in at opening time on Wednesday. What immediately struck us was what a fantastic, warm, cosy and inviting pub this is. Becky was behind the bar with a friendly smile, the heating was on and locals were already coming in to enjoy a drink with friends. On the first really cold day this Winter, this was definitely the place to be!

Nick has been in the pub business for more than 30 years and has owned and run The Prince of Wales for the last 14 of these. Becky has been behind the bar for the past 8 years. This is very much a family friendly pub. All food is freshly cooked to order and I think you would struggle to find another business as accommodating in meeting people's dietary requirements and needs. They do a great Sunday roast and on other days have a menu filled with plenty of variety to tempt all palates (and have a children's menu for younger ones).

But back to what put the pub onto our radar - the money they have raised for charitable causes. Most recently, their fundraising efforts raised over £120 for the Haslemere Food Bank. The idea behind this latest event came from local pub-goers Richard and Adam (owners of Haslemere Building Services and Haslemere Fencing respectively). They had asked Nick and Becky if they would support a quiz to raise much-needed funds for this local charity and they were only too happy to oblige. Nick and Becky aren't stopping there though! They're following this up by running another quiz on 16th December - if you want to take part, be quick! There are only two tables left! And then, they are planning a Santa's Grotto on December 20th. Again, it's so clear how thoughtful Nick and Becky are. From 3.30 - 4.15, there is a special SEN slot for children to attend, before it's open to all from 4.30 - 5.15.

Jo Mackay, Chair of the Haslemere Food Bank said, 'We are so grateful to Richard, Adam, Nick and Becky for their support. The money raised will buy toys and games to distribute to local families struggling financially this Christmas. Donations to the food bank are down this year - no doubt a refection of how tough it is for so many families right now - so this money will make an enormous difference to us.'

However, this is just the most recent example of their charitable efforts. Over the years they have raised money for a variety of causes. Years ago, they raised money for a local family whose child had muscular dystrophy, enabling them to adapt their home to meet his needs. They have also raised money for national charities such as Macmillan and Prostate Cancer UK as well as other causes that are close to the hearts of the locals that come to the pub regularly. Earlier this year, for example, with the help of locals Nathan and Fiona Tough, they raised over £900 by running a Summer Solstice charity day for Haslemere Hospital League of Friends.

Nick and Becky are clearly running a fantastic business and are doing so much to support the local community at the same time. However, what was also apparent from our time withj them was that this is a really tough industry to be in right now. Costs have spiralled and they have, time and time again, done what they can to absorb these rather than pass them on. The scary statistic is that they make just 13 pence from every pint pulled. That's an awful lot of pints they need to sell to cover their bills. Clarkson recently threw the spotlight on how hard it is to run a profitable pub these days. A decade ago, there were approximately 60,000 pubs in this country. That figure now stands at less than 49,000. We now have the lowest number of pubs on record and more than 1 pub is closing every day in the UK. There are so many factors behind this - beer duty, business rates, VAT, recessions, increasing energy costs, changes in consumer habits are all factors. What we need to ensure is that our great local pubs don't become part of this statistic.

Please do show your support for Nick and Becky. They certainly deserve it. And we're confident you won't be disappointed! We've certainly booked in for Sunday lunch. We look forward to seeing you there!