Pubgoers help Joseph Holt raise more than £70,000 for Help For Heroes

The Manchester-based brewer and pubs operator raised £71,356.21 during a 12-month campaign which saw staff, customers and suppliers organise and take part in activities and challenges from bikini car washes and bungee jumps to cycle rides and family fun days.

Joseph Holt initially set a target of £50,000 and exceeded it by nearly 50 per cent.

The fundraising drive was especially poignant for Sheryl and Ronnie Downes, managers of the Kings Head, Droylsden, Tameside.

Their 20-year-old son Tony, a guardsman with the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, was killed in Afghanistan in June 2007 when a landmine exploded under his armoured vehicle.

The Kings Head was the star performer of the Joseph Holt appeal, raising £3,310.

The next four top fundraisers were:
•Welcome Inn, Whitefield (£2,869)
•Spread Eagle, Chorlton, Manchester (£2,673)
•Morning Star, Swinton (£2,619)
•Queens Hotel, Hyde (£2,167)

The managers of those five pubs were VIP guests at a cheque presentation ceremony at Joseph Holt’s brewery and headquarters in Cheetham Hill.

Joseph Holt chief executive Richard Kershaw, who presented the cheque, said: “It is great testimony to the terrific support we received from all our licensees and free trade customers that we have raised over £71,000 for such a great charity as Help for Heroes.

“Last year we won the British Beer & Pub Association’s national Heart of the Community Award and this fantastic result epitomises why we won this.”

Help for Heroes was founded in 2007 by Bryn and Emma Parry to provide support to servicemen and women and their families who have suffered life-changing injuries and illnesses.

The money raised by Joseph Holt will be invested in Help for Heroes’ recovery centre at Catterick, one of four nationwide which provide psychological, financial and employment support to wounded servicemen and women and their families.

Help for Heroes’ Helen Loynes said: “Joseph Holt had a great idea, rallied support and had a great deal of fun while raising money for a wonderful cause. It’s hugely appreciated.”