Selaine Saxby welcomed Jonathan and Linda Quinn, licensees of the George and Dragon Pub in Ilfracombe, to Westminster for the finals of the Community Pub Hero Awards. At the awards ceremony they received a certificate to honour their work raising money for the local community.
The George and Dragon in Ilfracombe is one of just 15 pubs from across the country to reach the finals of the Community Pub Hero Awards, organised by PubAid and the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group and sponsored by Matthew Clark.
The pub was nominated by Selaine Saxby MP for North Devon, who said:
“Congratulations to Jon and Linda for this fantastic achievement, great recognition for their hard work raising over £170,000 for their community. It was great to hear from Jon and Linda about the quizzes they are currently running to help local students travel internationally as part of their studies.”
The Punch Pubs’ community pub has been a focal point in its neighbourhood for the last 18 years, organising a huge array of fundraising events such as race nights, Easter Egg draws and even Star Trek walks! The weekly pub quiz, compiled by landlord Jon Quinn, has been incredibly popular, helping raise in excess of £170,000 over the years. The long and diverse list of local and national charities and causes to benefit includes lfracombe Library, St Johns Ambulance, Childrens Hospice South West and Prostate Cancer.
PubAid co-founder Des O’Flanagan said:
“Our heartfelt congratulations go to the George and Dragon. Choosing the finalists from a very strong set of entries was a real challenge and those pubs who have reached the shortlist should be very proud of their achievement.”
“Judges were hugely impressed by the stories from so many pubs, who have raised astonishing sums for charities, or provided incredible support for local people. The awards demonstrate, once again, that pubs are a force for good in their communities.”
John Steele, Trade Marketing Director, Matthew Clark added:
“We were delighted to support this competition again and pleased to see an increase in the number of entries over last year. It is wonderful to hear about the great work done by licensees and their teams and we’re happy to be giving them well-deserved recognition.”
