Leeds pub and Gough host Ashes viewing

The Myrtle Tavern in Leeds welcomed ex-England cricketer Darren Gough to host an Ashes 'watchalong' in July, bringing together a group of senior or isolated people to enjoy the cricket.

With a summer of sport in full swing, the event was put together by Sky Business, which has been highlighting the impact that live sport can have to help bring communities together.

Hosted by Gough, Sky worked with charity partners Burmantofts Senior Action and Age UK to bring the chosen audience together. Gough then spent time with the group, discussing his experience with the England side, his Ashes memories and the importance of sport and community venues on mental health.

"Our members enjoyed a wonderful day watching The Ashes together," says Sheila Davenport, service coordinator at Burmantofts Senior Action Leeds. "It was a real treat for them to meet and hear from Darren Gough, who spent so much of his time with everyone and made them feel very welcome.

"Events like this show how important community venues like The Myrtle Tavern can be in their local area in bringing people together, and live sport gives people the perfect excuse to get together and socialise in this way."

The Ashes watchalong was part of Sky’s ‘Everyone Loves a Local’ campaign, which puts pubs and clubs into the spotlight and encourages their customers to support their local. 

Out-of-home viewing for this Ashes series has continued to grow compared to previous years, with Saturday 1 July seeing the best cricket out-of-home viewing figures since England won the Cricket World Cup in 2019, with almost 650,000 people watching in a pub, club or bar.

A video of the Ashes watchalong can be viewed here.

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