A regular at a Nottinghamshire pub is in the running for a national award. Glyn Hassell, of Eastwood, is one of just 15 finalists in the Community Pub Hero Awards but he says everyone who has helped the Dog & Parrot raise £40,000 for good causes deserves the accolade.
He was nominated by Kathryn and David Boam, licensees of the micro pub in Nottingham Road, Eastwood. The pub might be small but the locals have big hearts, having raised the impressive amount in five years for charities including the MS Society, RSPCA, Children’s Air Ambulance and Combat Stress.
Last year, Glyn also became chairman of trustees for Durban House Community Hub, which will turn a disused building into a meeting place for local people of all ages. All this is while holding down a full-time job.
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The 59-year-old IBM contract manager, said: "They nominated me as a regular who raises money for charity. I'm the name that got put through but I'm just one of many in the local community who helped them raise money.
"It's a fantastic thing they do. A lot of charities they support are fantastic but there are people who go under the radar in the local community that don't meet the model for those charities but are struggling so they've started a Dog & Parrot community fund. If there is a anyone struggling they can apply to get funding."
Nationwide 200 pubs entered the Community Pub Hero Awards, a competition organised by PubAid and the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group. Entries were judged by a panel of industry experts and the overall winners will be announced in March, with all finalists invited to a presentation at the House of Commons.
The competition, which first ran in 2018, has been expanded this year to offer two new categories: Community Support Hero or Charity Fundraising Hero, and the new Community Regular Hero, for pub regulars who help their local’s charity fundraising or community support.
PubAid co-founder Des O’Flanagan said: “Our heartfelt congratulations go to Glyn. Choosing the finalists from a very strong set of entries was a real challenge and those pubs who have reached the shortlist should be very proud of their achievement.
“Judges were hugely impressed by the stories from so many pubs, who have raised astonishing sums for charities, or provided incredible support for local people. The awards demonstrate, once again, that pubs are a force for good in their communities.”
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