Three pubs take top spots in competition sponsored by Matthew Clark
Three pubs have been named as overall winners in the Community Pub Hero Awards, the national competition organised by PubAid and the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group (APPBG) and sponsored by Matthew Clark.
The winners were selected from a list of 15 finalists, who all impressed the judges with their outstanding support for their local communities and charity. The overall winners, announced at an awards presentation in the House of Commons on 28 March, are:
· Community Support Pub Hero: The Bellflower, Garstang, Preston, Lancashire
· Charity Fundraising Pub Hero: The Beeswing Inn, Northallerton, Yorkshire
· Community Regular Hero: Glyn Hassell at The Dog & Parrot, Nottingham
Presenting trophies to the winners, Matthew Clark Trade Marketing Director John Steele said: “We are delighted to recognise the incredible community and charity support provided by our winners, by naming them as our overall Community Pub Heroes. Congratulations to all three pubs for this well-deserved recognition.”
PubAid co-founder Des O’Flanagan added: “We received 200 entries for our awards, so reaching the final 15 was an achievement in itself and going on to take one of the top awards is a triumph! We’re delighted with the recognition the Awards give to all our finalists and winners, who are truly a force for good in their communities.”
The Rt Hon Alun Cairns MP, Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group, said: “We were delighted to receive 70 nominations from MPs, which shows how pubs are valued as hubs of charity and community support in constituencies across the country. Congratulations to all three Community Pub Heroes.”
Each winning pub received a trophy and both Matthew Clark and PubAid will be donating £250 each to a charity chosen by the pub.
The Community Pub Hero Awards first ran in 2018, with entries and interest growing every year. The Awards now offer two categories for pubs: Community Support Hero and Charity Fundraising Hero, and a Community Regular Hero where pubs nominated a supportive customer.
COMMENTS FROM WINNERS
Heather Porter-Brandwood, licensee of The Bellflower, said: “It was amazing to be shortlisted for this award, to win it is unbelievable! We’ve always believed that if you’re in a position, as we are, where you can help people, why wouldn’t you help? That’s why we’ve supported such a lot of local charities and good causes over the years, and will continue to do so.”
Beth Robinson, licensee of The Beeswing Inn, said: “We’re ecstatic about this win! Today has been a brilliant day, as on our way to this presentation we learned that building is going to start on a new hospice suite at Northallerton Friarage Hospital, which we are funding. This has been our goal ever since my dad passed away at the Friarage four years ago and it’s going to make such a difference, enabling families to stay with their loved ones at the end.”
Kathryn Boam, licensee of The Dog & Parrot, said: “Glyn has helped us in so many ways; he arranges our charity events, manages our social media and has raised the profile of the pub. With his help, we’ve raised £45,000 for charity, which is huge for a small pub like ours. We’ve just completed our third annual ‘March for March’ 10-mile walk in aid of Combat Stress, meaning we’ve now raised £7,000 for this charity, which supports veterans’ mental health.”
Caption to attached image: l-r Des O’Flanagan, PubAid; Caroline & Heather Porter-Brandwood of The Bellflower; Jack Preston & Beth Robinson of The Beeswing Inn; Kathryn & David Boam of The Dog & Parrot
Issued on behalf of PubAid
For further information: Ros Shiel at ros@shielporter.com / 07841 694137
NOTES TO EDITORS
The Community Pub Hero Awards are run by PubAid and the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group and sponsored by Matthew Clark. This year’s finalists were grouped in three categories:
Community Support Pub Hero
· Winner: The Bellflower, Garstang, Preston, Lancashire
· Finalists
o The Admiral Rodney, Swadlincote, Derbyshire
o The Bevy, Brighton
o The Jack & Jill, Coulsdon, Surrey
o The Jolly Coopers, Hampton, Middlesex
o The Two Tubs, Bury, Lancashire
Charity Fundraising Pub Hero
· Winner: The Beeswing, Northallerton, Yorkshire
· Finalists:
o The Blue Ball, Worrall, Sheffield
o The Chequers, Swinford, Leicestershire
o The Flying Horse, Ashford, Kent
o The George & Dragon, Ilfracombe, Devon
o The Swan, Thornbury, Bristol
Community Regular Hero
· Winner: The Dog & Parrot, Nottingham
· Finalists:
o The Jemmy Hirst, Goole, East Yorkshire
o The Royal Oak, Wolverhampton
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, 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.
Issued on behalf of PubAid
For further information: Ros Shiel at ros@shielporter.com / 07841 694137