‘DON’T lose the pub’ was one of the messages from Sir Gary Verity at a Settle Civic Event recently.

Sir Gary, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire tourism agency, was guest speaker at the meeting at Settle Victoria Hall hosted by Councillor Wendy Hull, chairman of Craven District Council, which aimed to discuss challenging issues faced by Dales families and communities.

Among his advice in creating a vibrant community was ensuring a pub remaining open was pivotal in a community’s survival.

“Prince Charles speaks an awful lot of sense in terms of rural issues and has done for years. Everyone thought he was crackers to start with, now everyone’s coming round to his way of thinking.

“One of the things he speaks passionately about is the ‘Pub is the Hub’ and I think that’s absolutely right. I think a village without a pub is a pretty plain sort of place.”

Sir Gary also spoke about being inspirational in retail, rather than boring and said he did not believe the high street was dead.

But he said changes like having flexible opening times so working people can shop were things to look at.

“Whatever we do today has to be relevant. We have to be fleet of foot and better than we ever were in the past,” he said.

He also highlighted the importance of transport and that everyone shares the road whether in a car, bus or on a bicycle.

Those attending the meeting were made up of local dignitaries, residents and members of organisations.

Speakers included: Robert Bellfield, principal of Craven College, Kris Brewster, of Skipton Building Society, Councillor Carl Lis, chairman of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, Bryan Gray, chairman of the Settle & Carlisle Railway Trust, David Smurthwaite, strategic manager at Craven District Council, Craven District Council leader Councillor Richard Foster and Councillor David Staveley.

Councillor Hull said: “We need to accept that there is no ‘they’ out there who must do something about the challenges facing our precious Yorkshire Dales. We are all ‘they’.”