Managed pub and bar operator TCG has presented a cheque for £60,000 to Help for Heroes, after a year of fundraising for the charity. The money is being used, fittingly, to support the bar and social facilities at the charity’s flagship Recovery Centre at Tedworth House in Wiltshire.
TCG adopted Help for Heroes as its nominated charity in September last year with a fundraising target of £50,000. Pubs and bars took on the challenge with enthusiasm, organising a raft of charity events from band nights to beer festivals, sponsored waxings, singalongs and simple but effective ‘Big Bucket Shakes’ on Bank Holidays and other high-traffic dates.
Not to be outdone, TCG’s operational management team completed a Cycle-a-thon this summer on static bikes on the Tattershall Castle floating pub, moored on the Thames at Embankment. They cycled 1,100 miles – the equivalent of a route round their most distant pubs which include locations from Aberdeen and Inverness to Newquay.
Presenting the cheque to Sophie Parry of Help for Heroes, at Tedworth House, TCG chief operating officer Nigel Wright said, “We are delighted to have raised funds for Help for Heroes, and pleased that it is going to support the bar at Tedworth House. Pubs have always been somewhere for people to take time out, unwind and enjoy a sociable pint, and this is just as important for our returning heroes and their families as for anyone else.
“The teams in our pubs and bars should feel very proud of the money they raised, at a time when consumers are watching every penny they spend. The widespread public support for Help for Heroes made it an easier task, but nonetheless we had to do a lot of bucket-shaking to collect this amount.”
For Help for Heroes, Sophie Parry said, “We are thrilled to receive this donation, which comes just as we are enhancing Tedworth House with a new Skiplex ski simulator, and an accommodation and education wing. As a result, more residents will be passing through the centre, so we anticipate the bar will be well-used as the setting for many informal meetings and organised social events.”
Among the TCG group visiting Tedworth House was Sandy Castle, general manager of the Fatling & Firkin in Hornchurch, which started collecting for the charity in 2009. She said, ““Our initial connection with Help for Heroes was very individual to our pub, as one of our team members had a brother in the Army. It meant a lot to him that we were supporting the charity and our involvement grew from there.
“We put collecting buckets on the bar, have held many fundraisers and have been delighted with the level of support: as a pub, a lot of our customers are young men who relate strongly to the charity. I pushed for Help for Heroes to be adopted by TCG so I’m delighted that as a company we’ve raised so much for them.”
Caption to attached image: Nigel Wright, chief operating officer (fourth from right) and the TCG team present a cheque to Sophie Parry of Help for Heroes (far right) at the charity’s Tedworth House Recovery Centre
Notes to editors:
- TCG operates a diverse estate of managed pubs and bars nationwide.
- The business has a strong foothold in London, with high-profile sites such as the flagship Tattershall Castle floating bar and restaurant on the Embankment.
- The estate stretches across the country from Aberdeen to Newquay, and from Cardiff to Norwich. It includes late night bars, community and sports locals, student venues and quality town centre pubs, as well as a number of trading formats, such as the Henry’s Café Bar brand, Eerie Pubs and the King’s Feast food concept
- Tedworth House is Help for Heroes’ flagship Recovery Centre in Tidworth, Wiltshire. Its purpose is to inspire our wounded, injured, sick and returning veterans to lead active independent and fulfilling lives which will enable them to reach their full potential and to support them, and their families, for life. www.helpforheroes.org.uk
Issued on behalf of: TCG
By: ShielPorter Communications
Further information: Ros Shiel: ros@shielporter.com / 07841 694137
John Porter: john@shielporter.com / 07734 054389