Competition returns with new categories
PubAid’s Community Pub Hero Awards are returning with new categories designed to reward licensees and, for the first time, pub regulars, who go the extra mile to support their local communities, charities and worthy causes.
The competition is organised by PubAid with sponsorship once again from Matthew Clark and support from the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group. Entries are open now on the PubAid website with a closing date of 31 October.
This year, pubs can choose to enter either a Community Support or Charity Fundraising category, and nominate one of their regulars for their contribution to the pub’s activities, to become a Community Hero Regular. Pubs can enter themselves via a brief form on the PubAid website, while pub companies are welcome to nominate their licensees and MPs are encouraged to suggest worthy pubs in their constituencies.
After the closing date, judges will review entries received and publish shortlists for each category. All finalists will be invited, with their MP, to attend a reception in London, where the overall winners will be announced.
Co-founder of PubAid, Des O’Flanagan said: “We’re delighted to be running the Community Pub Hero Awards again and recognising pubs who are providing much-needed support for their local communities and charities.
“We’re also pleased to be introducing the new Community Regular Hero award; we know that pub fundraising and other community support activities are often driven by an enthusiastic individual or group of stalwarts. It seems only right to share the limelight with them.”
John Steele, Trade Marketing Director, Matthew Clark added: “We’re delighted to continue our support for the Community Pub Hero Awards. Last year we received many deserving entries from pubs who worked selflessly to help local residents through the Covid lockdown, despite facing uncertainty themselves. Pubs truly are heroes in their communities and we look forward to rewarding more of them this year.”
Mike Wood, MP for Dudley South and Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group, said: “These awards are a great opportunity for MPs to celebrate how landlords in their constituencies provide vital support, either through fundraising for charities or other help for those in need locally. Over 60 MPs across the country came forward with nominations last year and we hope to see a similarly enthusiastic response this time.”
The categories
Community Support Hero: recognising licensees who help their communities. Many pubs offered vital support during lockdown: delivering supplies or cooking hot meals for vulnerable residents, or keeping people connected through online quizzes or chats. If your pub is a ‘good neighbour’ to your local community, then this award is for you!
Charity Fundraising Hero: recognising pubs who support charities and other good causes through fundraising. This can be through a collection tin on the bar, charity events ranging from quizzes or auctions through to fun days, or sponsored challenges by the licensee, team members or pub customers.
Community Hero Regular: recognising an individual or group of customers who help the pub’s fundraising efforts or its work to support the community. They often take on thankless tasks for little reward, so if you have a loyal regular who has helped your pub to help others locally, then nominate them for this award.
-ends-
Issued on behalf of PubAid
NOTES TO EDITORS
Community Pub Hero Awards: PubAid launched its Charity Fundraiser Pub Awards in 2018, with sponsorship from C&C and support from the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group. The awards ran again in 2019, sponsored by Matthew Clark, and in 2020, with pubs closed for months due to Covid, they were reshaped and renamed as the Community Pub Hero Awards. The competition, rewarding pubs’ community support during lockdown, attracted 115 entries, including 60 from MPs who nominated pubs in their constituencies. Two overall winners, The Horse & Jockey in Melling, Merseyside and the Portsmouth Arms in Basingstoke, were announced in spring 2021.
PubAid is a working party created in 2009 to promote UK pubs as a force for good in their communities, sharing the message that they raise over £100m per year for charities and contribute £40 million to grassroots sport. PubAid runs the annual World’s Biggest Pub Quiz, which has raised £750,000 since its launch in 2016, the Community Pub Hero Awards and, launched in early 2022, the Grassroots Sports Champions, in association with Sky, to recognise pubs’ support for local sports.
The PubAid steering group is led by co-founder Des O’Flanagan, and includes a number of well-known figures from the pub world, who lend their time and other resources to help spread the positive messages about pubs’ role at the heart of their communities.
Matthew Clark is a leading national drinks wholesaler with over 200 years’ experience supplying drink products, hospitality training, labour management and marketing support to over 16,000 On-Trade premises in the UK.
The All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group was set up in 1993 and has a membership of over 350 MPs and Peers. The Beer Group’s objectives are to broaden recognition of the enormous contribution of brewing and pubs to the UK economy from grain to glass – and to celebrate the unique role that beer and pubs play in our society
Press release from Shiel Porter.
For further information, please contact Ros Shiel via ros@shielporter.com or 07841 694137.