The team at the Hare and Hounds in Bath, part of the Bath Pub Company, said images of refugees fleeing Syria had spurred them into action.
Operations manager Darren Hales told the Publican’s Morning Advertiser: “We decided to do this as we have the benefit of long opening hours, storage space and parking. The pub is very much a part of the local community in Lansdown and engages regularly with residents of Bath and the surrounding area on Twitter and Facebook – something that we feel puts us in a position to really get the word out and collect a substantial amount of donations.”
Local transport company Simply Delivered has offered to collect donations from people who can’t reach the pub themselves.
The Lansdowne in Cardiff has been so inundated by donations that the pub is now out of space.
Licensee Cerys Furlong said she was ‘overwhelmed’ by the response and thanked locals for their generosity.
Jonny Booth, who runs six pubs across Manchester, is planning on driving to Calais with staff to distribute aid. A crowdfunding page set up to raise money for the trip has smashed its original target of £2,000 and has gone on to make £3,625.
Pubs are renowned for their donations to charity, with the latest estimates revealing that each pubs raises around £2,742 a year.