Anita and Peter George collected the prize at a ceremony held at the House of Commons last night (17 April) when they were recognised for their hard work and commitment to raising money for good causes for 35 years.
The new prize, sponsored by Magners cider, recognises the work pubs do to raise money for local and national charities.
The Georges were among eight finalists from around the country who all raised large sums for charity and were recognised for their contribution to their communities.
Events galore
As Mike Wood, MP for Dudley South and APPBG chairman, presented the prize, he applauded the Georges for the range of charity events they and their team had organised and supported at their Cornwall pub.
These included sponsored cycle rides, quizzes and auction to fund raise for local charities including St Levan Church and Sports Club, Cornwall Blood Bikes and Macmillan among many others.
Logan Rock Inn, which is part of St Austell Brewery, also holds a welly boot throwing competition every Boxing Day with proceeds going to Sennen Cove lifeboat station, hosts visits from underprivileged children from London, delivers newspapers to Treen's elderly residents and runs a litter pick in the local area.
Community pub
Anita George said: “We’re delighted to have won this award and grateful to our fantastic team of staff and customers, who have given whole-hearted support to our fundraising efforts over the years. As a community pub, we’ve always felt we have a duty to help our local community, and it’s wonderful to have our efforts recognised in this way.”
She told The Morning Advertiser: “We couldn’t have achieved this without the staff and locals. Our next charity event is on 19 May linked to the royal wedding. We have a wedding breakfast, which we will be selling to raise funds for the local church, St Levan.”
Piers Thompson, external relations manager at St Austell Brewery, congratulated the winning licensees, saying it was a “wonderful accolade” for the couple who have been working tirelessly for charity for 35 years."
The finalists:
- The Barrels, Hereford
- The Swan, Thornbury, Bristol
- The Crown, Radnage, Buckinghamshire
- The Well Parc Hotel, Trevone, Padstow
- The New Inn, Enderby, Leicester
- The Cabbage Patch, Twickenham, south-west London
- The Lord Nelson, Urmston, Manchester
- The Logan Rock Inn, Treen, Cornwall
PubAid co-founder Des O’Flanagan said: “It’s hard to think of a way of fundraising that the Logan Rock hasn’t tried! Anita and Peter and their team are both creative and tireless in their support for charities, and the list of worthy causes and local groups who have benefited is long and varied.
“Some 69 pubs entered these awards and we were enormously impressed by the quality of entries. Picking just eight finalists and then a winner was a real challenge for the judges, as we had so many excellent pubs to choose from.”
Determination pays off
Wood added: "The Logan Rock's determination to make a difference to charities of all sizes makes them worthy winners of our award.
"UK pubs raise more than £100m for charity every year, thanks to the enthusiasm, imagination and hard work shown by thousands of licensees, their teams and their customers across the country.”