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).
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.
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.”
