PubAid awards showcase community spirit

Pubs in Basingstoke and Merseyside have been named joint winners of this year's Community Pub Hero Awards, organised by PubAid and the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group.

The winning pubs were The Horse & Jockey in Melling, Merseyside, and The Portsmouth Arms in Basingstoke.

The Community Pub Hero Awards attracted 115 entries, including 60 from MPs, who nominated pubs in their constituencies. This is the third year for the competition, which was reshaped and renamed (formerly Charity Pub of the Year) to focus on pubs' support for their communities during lockdown, rather than traditional charity fundraising.   

Judges decided to make two top awards this year in recognition of the very different community support offered by the two pubs. Both pubs received a £500 donation from Matthew Clark, the event sponsor, to the charity of their choice, as well as a trophy, while winners and finalists received a certificate, to be presented by their MP.

"We decided to give the top award to two pubs who took very different approaches to supporting their communities in lockdown," says PubAid co-founder Des O'Flanagan. "The Portsmouth Arms started a record-beating pub quiz that has raised more than £66,000 for charities, while The Horse & Jockey cooked and delivered 15,000 free hot meals and sent out 1,000 care packages. Faced with ‘comparing apples with pears', we voted to reward both!"

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