Great British pubs are still playing host to some of our most significant life moments from christenings, marriages and birthdays to breakups, according to a new study revealed to celebrate National Pub Fortnight.
The study carried out by Ei Publican Partnerships, the UK’s largest leased and tenanted pub company, revealed that a quarter of British adults visit the pub at least once a week, with males more than twice as likely as women to visit their local watering hole two or three times each week.
It’s all about the personal touch, with over a quarter of the general public claiming to know their landlord or landlady by name and confident they’ll know their ‘usual’.
The findings mark the start of the inaugural National Pub Fortnight, a two-week celebration which kicked off on 22 July and concluded on 6 August.
During this fortnight free pints are up for grabs in selected Ei Publican Partnerships’ pubs for the first 15,000 customers who sign up using the National Pub Fortnight app.
Online dating may have become the norm for many, but proving love can still be found the old-fashioned way, 10.4 million Brits have kindled a new relationship in the pub while 2.6 million have been proposed to there.
It’s not all good news though – pubs have been the location for 4.1 million break-ups. Your chances of a pub-based break-up are partly dependent on where you live with 11% of people having experienced a break-up in Welsh pubs, versus just 3% in pubs across Scotland.
Somewhat surprisingly, only 14% use the pub to meet new people. Those in London and the South East are most likely to use the pub to meet new people (18% and 19% respectively), while only 5% of those in the North East say the same.
Pub goers across the country voted EastEnders’ beloved Queen Vic as the on-screen pub they’d most like to have a drink in, closely followed by The Hogs Head from Harry Potter.
Brigid Simmonds, Chief Executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said, “The pub is the original social network, it has evolved over the years but it very much remains a hub for the community where people share life moments.
“Pubs are much more than merely a place to eat and drink, they are the beating heart of our society, in both urban and rural areas, and we’re delighted to put the pub centre stage during National Pub Fortnight.
“The initiative pulls together the pub community from across the country, so get down and support a local pub that’s participating and enjoy a free pint.”
To access the free pint promotion and find a local participating pub visit the web based app at www.freedrinkoffer.co.uk using a smartphone or tablet.
