ACCORDING to recent findings by the Office of National Statistics (ONS), more than 11,000 pubs have closed in the UK in the last decade - a fall of almost a quarter; some 23 per cent. As many as 18 pubs are estimated to be closing each week, leaving about 39,000 pubs nationally, down from 50,000 in 2008.

Especially vulnerable are the rural pubs which were once a fixture of village life across Wales. Last week, community pubs minister, Jake Berry, wrote to all the major players in the pubs and drinks industry, urging them to join government in supporting village locals right across the country and promising £188,000 of funding to deliver additional services, including new Post Office facilities to children's play areas, as part of Pub is The Hub scheme.

"The devastating effect of the smoking ban and cheap supermarket prices have made running a rural pub nearly impossible," says Siwan Jones, organiser of Wrexham Real Ale Trail, which gives drinkers the opportunity to sample up to seven fantastic pubs across the county in one day, without having to worry who's going to ferry them between hostelries, thanks to an all day bus service running between each stop.

"Normally if you wanted to visit one of these village pubs in the middle of nowhere and enjoy a drink you would need a taxi or a designated driver and it can get quite expensive. This way we get to share the cost, make it a bit cheaper and help out rural pubs as well."

Real Ale Trails was first created seven years ago in Flintshire with the specific aim of saving village pubs from closure and introducing new people to venues they might not usually think to visit for a drink due to their remoteness. The idea has proved a great success and trails now run regularly across Snowdonia, Arfon, Conwy, Wirral, as well as Flintshire and Wrexham.

This year's Wrexham trail, which takes place on Saturday, April 13, will start off at Saith Seren, in Wrexham, before taking in the Trevor Arms in Marford, Nags Head in Lavister, Peal O'Bells in Holt, Nags Head in Ridleywood, Wynnstay Arms in Ruabon and the Red Lion in Marchwiel. Buses arrive to pick up drinkers every 30 minutes from noon to 10pm, with a day ticket costing just £15.

"Two of the hostelries are putting on mini real ale festivals and there is also live music and plenty of delicious home cooked food to soak up the ale," adds Siwan. "The idea is that drinkers can see what ales the pubs have throughout the year, with the idea they will come back off their own steam another time,"

More then 1,000 people take took part in last year's festivals, with Siwan noticing that people are now coming from all over England and Wales to visit Wrexham for the weekend.

"My friends and I often visit cities to do our own ale trail because getting to each pub is without hassle. So this idea was right up our street it's a great idea and a great way for me to visit country pubs and their take on ale," says one regular 'trailer', Guto Williams, from Penrhyn Bay in Conwy.

For the landlords and landladies involved, the day means a huge increase in footfall, with plenty making special preparations for the influx of new drinkers.

"There's a lot to be explored here in Wrexham," says Peter Lane from Holt's Peal O'Bells. "The amount of local ales we all stock on the trail is second to none, and is probably the only time you will get to witness this kind of selection, as a lot of ales are small batch brewed for the day of the trail.

"It's been very hard work for us in the 18 months we've been here. The pub was closed when we took over and we knew a lot of rural pubs were closing but my wife and I were determined to build a traditional pub when we moved in.

"We see our pub as a community hub - some of the older gentlemen who drink here don't get to see anyone throughout the day and they like to come in for a chat with our regulars.

"We've hosted plenty of events, music, we've started a pool team and the Real Ale Trail has really helped bring people to the area who wouldn't normally think to come."

Despite the dire figures surrounding pub closures, Peter and his wife are determined to ensure the Peal O'Bells' cash tills continue to ring.

"It's a dying industry in this country unfortunately," he says. "It's very long hours but you need to be determined and have a good plan in place which gives the community what they want - hopefully that's what we're doing.

"Things were slow at the start as the regulars got to know us but this is now a fantastic family pub with a huge beer garden and a great children's play area out the back. We are also really trying to support local businesses and breweries because when we started here we realised the previous owners didn't do any real ales whatsoever, whereas we've now gone from two pumps to four pumps and this weekend we will have eight pumps on with some really good beers from both the local area and a little further afield.

"The ale trail has been fantastic for all the pubs and it shows off places that a lot of people have never been to before, even though they may not be too far away. Last year we estimated we had about 300-400 people come through the doors and we're expecting similar this Saturday.

"It's a fantastic day and the feedback is always really good - it's great to see people who I've not seen for a long time visit down here on the border because when they do they are pleasantly surprised."

Tickets for the Wrexham Real Ale Trail can be purchased from the participating pubs or online at www.realaletrail.co.uk. For more information call 01978 510141 or email bottomsup@realaletrail.co.uk