Each winner, who has been nominated by fellow members of their community, has been awarded with £1,000 to donate to charity of their choice.
Following the launch of the initiative in June 2023, this is the second consecutive year that Proper Pubs has recognised the efforts of unsung heroes across the UK going the extra mile for their communities.
Throughout July, August and September, all Proper Pubs encouraged customers to nominate fellow local residents, whether they frequent the pub or not, to be entered into the competition.
Each winner has gone above and beyond in recent months to support local causes close to their hearts.
In Leigh, Kerry Beaumont was nominated by customers at the Canal Turn for her tireless fundraising efforts in aid of the Wigan & Leigh Hospice, where she is also a nurse. Over the last 10-years, Kerry has worked closely with a multitude of local businesses, including the Canal Turn, and has successfully raised and donated around £40,000 to the hospice. To further her support for the cause, Kerry chose to donate her £1,000 prize to Wigan & Leigh Hospice.
Over in Ashton Under Lyne, local Councillor Steven Barton, was nominated by customers at The New Inn for his work running Barty’s Community Pantry and Foodbank solely from donations. Steven chose to donate his £1,000 to the foodbank. Following the launch of Proper Pubs’ Heros of Hunger campaign in September, the New Inn now regularly collects and donates food to support this fantastic cause.
Mark Brooke, Managing Director of Proper Pubs, commented: “On behalf of the whole team at Proper Pubs I would like to thank Kerry and Steven for their phenomenal contributions to their local communities. I’m truly in awe of their fantastic efforts and delighted that we’ve been able to recognise their efforts.
As a business with community at the heart of everything we do it is essential that we support not only our pubs but also celebrate people who live near the pub and support their communities. To me, this initiative stands testament to that and I hope it goes some way in showing our appreciation to those going above and beyond.”
Proper Pubs is always looking for ways to support its communities through an annual schedule of events and fundraising initiatives. In March, it was crowned Community Pub Operator of the year at the Publican Awards, and more recently raised nearly £100,000 in just three months for various local charities across the UK. In September 2024, the Group successfully donated enough food to local foodbanks across the UK to feed 1,300 people for a week and has also been recognised for its UK-wide defibrillator installation campaign which has already saved 12 lives.
This year, operators across Proper Pubs’ estate are collecting as many advent calendars as possible to donate to local charities and communities in need.