A Bristol landlord whose pub has been named a finalist for a national community award says she still has 'no clue' who nominated her. The Swan in Thornbury is one of 15 across the country being recognised in the Charity Fundraising Pub Hero category of the Community Pub Hero Awards in acknowledgement of the enterprising efforts of landlady Sandra Davies.
Sandra, who took over the pub in 2011, said that after initially doing a craft fair to raise money for those with MS, she decided to have a different charity every month that the pub would collect or run events in aid of. For Sandra, no amount or cause is too small, and through her consistent efforts, over ten years later, the amount raised stands at over £161,575.
A quick look at The Swan's Facebook page gives an indication of the scope of the fundraising activities Sandra and her team run. In February alone, there were initiatives for the Thornbury Stroke Group, Royal British Legion, the Turkish earthquake appeal and the Alzheimer's Society, a charity of particular importance to Sandra as both her parents were affected by the disease.
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In spite of the cost-of-living crisis putting a squeeze on businesses like hers, Sandra says it's more vital than ever to put on events and collections to help worthy causes. She said: "Nobody's really got as much money to spend as they used to have, and I think charities do get affected. It's nice to be recognised, but at the end of the day, it's about the charities. "
The awards are run by PubAid, an organisation that seeks to highlight the financial, practical and emotional good work pubs do in their communities. PubAid collaborates with the government's All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group on the project, and this year 70 nominations came from MPs who gave nods to pubs in their constituencies, though Sandra is adamant she doesn't know who nominated her.
Overall winners will be announced at the end of March in an event held at the House of Commons attended by shortlisted licensees and their MPs. As has been up for the award before, Sandra said she knows what to expect and described the awards night as 'relaxed', adding: "The people are lovely; everybody is so friendly and down to earth.
"It is nice to be invited, and it does give you a little bit of a boost. But it's not just me; it's the people that support me. It's suppliers that might donate a raffle prize, the staff that look at me as if I'm crazy sometimes with some of the things I come up with, and it's the customers more than anything."
PubAid co-founder Des O’Flanagan said of the nominees: “Our heartfelt congratulations go to our finalists, who have earned their place by going the extra mile and demonstrating, once again, that pubs are a force for good in their communities.”
The complete list of finalists are:
Charity Fundraising Pub Hero
The Swan, Thornbury, Bristol
The Beeswing, Northallerton, Yorkshire
The Blue Ball, Worrall, Sheffield
The Chequers, Swinford, Leicestershire
The Flying Horse, Ashford, Kent
The George & Dragon, Ilfracombe, Devon
Community Support Pub Hero
The Admiral Rodney, Swadlincote, Derbyshire
The Bellflower, Garstang, Preston, Lancashire
The Bevy, Brighton
The Jack & Jill, Coulsdon, Surrey
The Jolly Coopers, Hampton, Middlesex
The Two Tubs, Bury, Lancashire
Community Regular Hero
The Dog & Parrot, Nottingham
The Jemmy Hirst, Goole, East Yorkshire
The Royal Oak, Wolverhampton
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