PubAid’s annual Community Pub Hero Awards have closed after receiving 200 entries from pubs and MPs nominating locals in their constituencies.
The awards, running for the fourth year, are sponsored by Matthew Clark and run with the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group (APPBG). This year, PubAid refreshed the scheme by offering two categories for pubs – Community Support Hero or Charity Fundraising Hero and a new Community Regular Hero where pubs can nominate a supportive customer. The response level is a sizeable uplift on the 115 entries in 2021.
The list of entrants spans the UK and includes independent, managed and L&T pubs. Judging is underway and a list of finalists for each category will be published in January. All finalists will be invited, with their MP, to attend a reception in London in early 2023, where the three overall winners will be announced.
PubAid co-founder Des O’Flanagan said: “We are delighted with this response; despite having a cost of living crisis and staff shortages to deal with, pubs have made time to enter these Awards. We’re genuinely honoured and will reward their efforts by ensuring entries are carefully considered by our judges.
“The entries this year are again of a high standard, and clearly demonstrate that pubs are a force for good in their communities. It is clearly going to be a tough task to choose our finalists and then the winners.”
John Steele, Trade Marketing Director, Matthew Clark added: “We have been very happy to support the Community Pub Hero Awards since launch. Pubs truly are heroes in their communities and this scheme gives them well-deserved recognition. We look forward to naming the finalists and winners of this year’s competition.”
The Rt Hon Alun Cairns MP, Chairman of the APPBG, said: “At a time when there has been plenty going on at Westminster, to receive 70 pub nominations from MPs is an excellent result. This level of engagement clearly shows that MPs across the country see the value of pubs as hubs of community and charity support in their constituencies.”
Entries are being judged by the PubAid Steering Group of.20 senior people from the pub industry. Shortlisted pubs in the Community Support and Charity Fundraising categories, alongside the finalist Community Regular Heroes, will be published in January 2023.
