A new campaign is urging people to get out of the house and support Nottingham's pub scene in January to prevent the 'eerily quiet period' once the festivities are over. Award-winning brewery and pub group Castle Rock has launched #31pubsinJanuary, challenging people to visit 31 pubs throughout the month. Customers are being encouraged to take to social media, sharing the hashtag along with a photo of the pub they are supporting.
It could be one pub per day, or several on one day - there's no rules. January is renowned as being a particularly difficult month for the industry. Castle Rock’s managing director, Colin Wilde, said: “I first saw this last year, when a friend of friend challenged themselves to visit 31 pubs over January. It was great fun to watch her journey and this year we wanted to amplify that brilliant idea, in hope that all pubs, not just our own, might feel the benefit.” Castle Rock’s marketing manager, Jess Collins, explained while the campaign hopes to counter trends like ‘Dry January’, it’s not all about drinking. She said: “On the contrary, our own findings have shown that the reasons people value their local pub is very rarely about alcohol at all.” Latest statistics show that, on average, one in three pub visits in the UK are now alcohol-free. Jess said: “The fact consumer habits are changing and in general, people are drinking less and being more health conscious is a positive. What we’re looking to do this January isn’t to get people drinking – it’s to get people in the pub, which can look very different depending on when and where you go. 'We’re encouraging people to celebrate the humble pub and what it represents, and it’s our hope we get people on board with a pledge to protect these places at their most vulnerable time, so that they’re still there when we are at ours.” Pubs are already finding new and positive ways to get people through the door