Marston’s pub wins at Community Pub Hero Awards

The Royal Oak pub in Chapel Ash, Wolverhampton, was this year’s big winner at the 2025 PubAid Community Pub Hero Awards. 

The Marston's venue won two awards at the ceremony attended by MPs, pub teams and other industry leaders at the House of Commons. 

Established by PubAid, the awards celebrate UK pubs as the unsung heroes of their local communities, recognising their significant contribution to local causes, from fundraising and grass roots sport to sustainability and community support. 

At the event, Marston’s licensee Terry Cole and his father-in-law Keith Fulwood, whose family have run The Royal Oak pub for the past 19 years, were awarded the Fundraising Community Pub award for England, in recognition of their team’s fundraising activities in the local Wolverhampton community. 

The Royal Oak was also named the overall national winner of the night, scooping the award for Outstanding Contribution to the pub industry. 

"We couldn’t be prouder to bring them home to Chapel Ash," says Cole. "From charity events to local support, this is a testament to what we can achieve together. A massive thank you to everyone who has supported us in keeping the community spirit alive and strong. This is as much your win as it is ours."

Charity efforts

The Marston’s pub has shown longstanding support of the Midland Freewheelers Blood Bikes, a voluntary service that supports the NHS by delivering blood, samples and medication 24 hours a day. The pub bought an £18,000 motorbike for the charity and helps to raise money to maintain its full fleet of 10 bikes and three cars. The pub’s support has enabled the charity to complete over 6,000 jobs free of charge for the NHS and patients. 

"The Royal Oak is famous within Marston’s and throughout Wolverhampton as not only being a great local pub, but as a team who are passionately local and really care, always looking for new ways to support and engage the local community and enhance their positive impact on it," adds Justin Platt, CEO of Marston’s. "Congratulations to Emma, Terry, Susan, Keith and all their team for this incredible achievement. To have their monumental efforts recognised at a national level is truly fantastic and very well deserved."

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