CHARITY SINGLE FOR THE BELEAGUERED PUB INDUSTRY

By Inez Ward
 
Justice for Licensees, in conjunction with their Save the Great British Pub campaign, are pleased to announce that they have been working closely with both the music industry and a master brewer to produce two very different fund raising projects. Monies raised will be donated to the Save the Great British Pub campaign.
We are pleased to announce the release of our charity single "What can we do now (Save the Great British Pub)" written and produced by Bob James and Tim Bushong. We are most thankful to both Bob and Tim for all their hard work on this project and are quietly confident that this will raise a considerable amount of interest. The cost of the single is 79p and available here http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bobjames1
Bob James said "I have been a songwriter since the early 90's, I write in most styles but perform mainly Country, 50's Rock'n'Roll and Rockabilly.
I was asked to write a song to bring to peoples attention the demise of the "Great British Pub" which after all is British Heritage, pubs have been a social gathering place for centuries, and is extremely important in our culture, especially for social networking and relaxation.
Many musicians and artists got their start in pubs and clubs and bars, as I did, and so I found it very close to my heart when asked if I could write and record a song to represent this cause, by Inez.
I came up with the title for the song, as I was wondering, "What can I or we do", "What Can We Do Now".
I then decided, to name as many Pubs as would allow in a song, and keep within a formulated song structure, within a perfect 3 minute to 3.15 minute time frame, incorporating a celtic folky fun feel, with an intro and chorus that could be easily remembered and recognized.
With the help of my co-writer, producer and studio engineer, Tim Bushong, (the Channelsurfers / Lovewar), we put together this song, which I feel will become a true testimony to the Great British Pub, we hope and pray you will like it enough to give your support. Thank you so much, I hope I have the privilege of meeting you all on the road. Thanks Bob James."
We are also pleased to announce that we are working closely with Alex and Diane of ALL BEER to promote the ALL BEER EXPERIENCE pack. Available for the first time as a not-for-profit initiative, it will bring the reader a new understanding of beers and to the campaign much needed funds. The ABE1 pack includes the award-winning ‘World's best beer book', a special tasting glass plus malt and hop flavour samples.
We are thankful to Alex and Diane for their support and help. ABE1 packs are available from http://www.allbeer.co.uk using special offer codes:
‘savethepub’ for single packs at £16.00 including P&P or ‘savethepub10’ for packs of 10, which are discounted to £15.00 each including P&P. The offer is restricted to mainland UK addresses only. Ordering packs of 10 saves on postage and increases the donation to Save the Great British Pub.
Alex said “It’s great to have the opportunity to demonstrate active support for British pubs. I started my working life in a pub, and I hope to end my time in one too!”
“We need pubs to survive and thrive at the heart of our communities. The British pub is synonymous with great beer and ALL BEER was created to help all those who enjoy and work with beer to discover the fantastic, diverse styles and flavours available and to give people more choice.”
“We’re delighted to be able to work with Inez and the wider team to support the Save the Great British Pub campaign.”
Inez Ward, founder of Justice for Licensees and the Save the Great British Pub campaign and Chairman of British Pub Week quoted " I believe wholeheartedly that pubs are worth fighting for and they are worth saving. Let's just take a step back and look at the benefits, they are not just somewhere to consume alcohol. Pubs play a vital role in many a community and are important for social cohesion, let's be frank here they are the best social networking commodity. In the main they retail alcohol responsibly, they are part of the solution to binge drinking and not the cause as has been portrayed on occassions. They carry out charity work, for the greater good of many causes. Pubs play a role in tourism, how many overseas visitors make one of their stops the Great British Pub, how many countries try to emulate the very thing that we are letting go of? They add to the general well being of the economy with taxes, duty, VAT and employment and they can become a burden on the economy as and when they close. How many celebrity chefs, darts players, musicians started their careers in pubs? I remember James Morrisson singing karaoke as a young teenager in a pub that I worked in! Bob James, who has written the charity single for pubs, started his career in pubs. Would these celebrities be where they are today if they had not had the platform to start their careers? Pubs are part of our history, heritage and culture and we should be proud of them and what they do and we should all want to promote these benefits!
I have a dream of a strong, united trade, one that we can all be proud of, a trade where many long to be part of it. A trade that is built on honesty, transparency and an undeniable passion for pubs, a trade that has the utmost respect for the pubs, the licensees and the consumers. A trade that is justifiably proud of it's history, heritage and culture"