A two-day sponsored walk in the Cotswolds by fundraisers from pub operator Brakspear’s Honeycomb Houses managed division has raised £5,000 to help tackle Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
Setting off from The Sheep on Sheep Street are (left to right) Sara Stewart, Karl Solomon, Amy Hay, and Sophie Wilkinson
The four-person team’s own fundraising efforts were matched pound-for-pound by the Brakspear Giving Back programme.
Led by Karl Solomon, general manager of The Sheep on Sheep Street, the team’s 52-mile ultra-marathon started at Karl’s pub and took in The Porch House, also in Stow, The Frogmill in Shipton Oliffe, and The Egypt Mill in Nailsworth, ending at The Kings Head in Cirencester.
Joining Karl on the charity walk, also from The Sheep on Sheep Street, were head housekeeper Sara Stewart, and reception and events manager Amy Hay, as well as Sophie Wilkinson, operations manager for the Cotswolds pubs and hotels. The charity was selected as Sara has personal experience of the impact that MND can have on sufferers, as well as their families and friends.
Sophie said: “While it was wonderful to be welcomed by our colleagues at each venue, this was definitely a long way from being a pub crawl. We spent far more time walking across fields, hills, forests and valleys than we did in the bar. The scenic Cotswold countryside, and the fact that we were raising funds for such a great cause, more than made up for our sore feet.
“Colleagues, customers, family, and friends have been very supportive. We’re close to collecting £2,500, with more cash to come in, and with Brakspear generously matching those donations, we’re confident of raising at least £5,000.”
Brakspear chief executive Tom Davies said: “Huge congratulations to Sophie and the team from The Sheep on Sheep Street for their efforts in support of such a great cause. Pubs are right at the heart of their communities, and our people do so much to support so many charities.
“We’re delighted that the Brakspear Giving Back programme is able to increase the impact of all that hard work.”
The programme supports charity fundraising activity in the company’s managed, tenanted, and leased pubs, as well as that by head office staff. Pubs apply for a boost from Brakspear Giving Back and the additional money is paid direct to the charity.
In the past year alone, Brakspear’s pubs and Brakspear Giving Back have donated more than £45,000 to a wide range of local and national good causes.
