Express & Star

Pub raises money for legion through beer festival

Veterans raised a toast to a pub after it raised nearly £2,000 for the Royal British Legion through a First World War themed beer festival.

Published
.Landlord Jamie Atkins(centre) with Alan Evans, Fred Potts, Brian Carey and Terry Collins at the The Great Western Pub, Sun Street, Wolverhampton. Jamie organised a beer festival to raise money for the Rotary Club of Wolverhampton. The beer festival marked the centenary of the end of WW1.

The Great Western chose the charity for its four-day fundraising beer festival. And the money has now been counted with £1,856 to be handed over.

It was the idea of pub licensee Jamie Atkins. Hundreds of people visited the pub during the festival and were given a ration book containing tokens which were used to sample some of the 65 beers on offer. The money was raised through a series of raffles held throughout the event which saw unique prizes snapped up.

Prizes included a wooden ammunition case, a glass Tommy gun containing vodka, a glass grenade containing whisky and special shot glasses.

The money has now been donated to the Royal British Legion via Wolverhampton Rotary Club to help former veterans with some members of the Legion turning out to help celebrate the charity tally including Alan Evans, Fred Potts, Brian Carey and Terry Collins. Mr Atkins said: “We hold the festival every year and each time we do we’re so impressed by people’s generosity. As we hold the event over Remembrance weekend, it’s important for us to mark the bravery of our current and former service men and women who give their lives to this country.

“I would like to thank all the staff, volunteers and helpers who made the event possible and of course all the customers who helped us raise this fantastic amount.”