(L to R): George Arkell, from the brewery, Ruth Fry - Radiographer from Princess Margaret Hopsital, Jan Burdett, Staff Nurse from PMH and Kay Gould, landlady at The Baker's Arms.
Arkell's fundraising total for the Evolution Appeal has risen by £146.45 as The Baker's Arms at Emlyn Square in Swindon cracked open a gallon whisky bottle full of change which will go towards providing extra equipment for the new Great Western Hospital in Swindon.
Customers and staff got into 'the spirit' of fundraising by filling the whisky bottle up to the brim with change in record time- and landlady Kay Gould is delighted that her regulars have been so generous.
With the help of its pub landlords and staff, Arkell's Brewery has committed to raising £25,000 towards equipping a Family Unit as part of the Evolution Appeal being organised by the Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust.
As part of its fund-raising efforts, the brewery has already provided hundreds of bears to its Wiltshire pubs and invited customers, for a £1 stake, to "Name That Bear" from a suggested forty names - which raised thousands of pounds and got the fundraising off to a great start.
Teresa Hill, who is spearheading the Brewery charity appeal, is delighted that the idea has proved such a success: "All our pubs are really supporting the fundraising and Andrew and Victoria have been particularly enthusiastic in raising money through filling a bottle with cash. Andrew tells me that he hates having to count up coppers in the till at the end of the evening so they've all been going in the bottle."
She added: "We're proud to be funding The Family Unit at the new Great Western Hospital. Being a brewery with such a strong family tradition through the Arkell's themselves and the many generations of families who have worked at the brewery, we wanted to do what we could to help provide space and comfort to all families who find themselves there, for whatever reason."
Along with the bear, filling the Whisky Bottle is just one of a number of initiatives devised by Teresa and her team at Arkell's Brewery to raise money throughout 2002.
"We are also selling pin badges with bees on, and are currently looking at various ways to raise money during the winter months," she said.
The Evolution Appeal is aiming to raise an extra £5 million towards equipment. This will allow the hospital to be equipped with the best, as well as allowing enough equipment to go around and make patient's progress through the hospital quicker and easier. Without the extra money, some of the older equipment, which is nearing the end of its serviceable life, will have to be transferred from Princess Margaret.
"The new Great Western Hospital is essential to all of us in the Swindon and surrounding communities," said James Arkell. Managing director at Arkell's Brewery. "As a family brewery, we are delighted to have the opportunity to contribute to such an essential and worthwhile cause. We are all committed to raising as much money as we can through a number of fund-raising activities which we also hope will prove enjoyable for our drinkers."
The Evolution Appeal is aiming to raise an extra £2.5 million towards equipment. This will allow the hospital to be equipped with the best, as well as allowing enough equipment to go around and make patient's progress through the hospital quicker and easier. Without the extra money, some of the older equipment, which is nearing the end of its serviceable life, will have to be transferred from Princess Margaret.
"The new Great Western Hospital is essential to all of us in this area," said James Arkell, managing director at Arkell's Brewery. "As a family brewery, we are delighted to have the opportunity to contribute to such an essential and worthwhile cause. We are all committed to raising as much money as we can through a number of fund-raising activities which we also hope will prove enjoyable for our drinkers."
More about The Boundary House...
Arkell's Pub Ransoms Regulars for New Hospital
(LtoR): Ann Fearn, Highwayman Landlady, David Collins, Consultant Rheumatologist at Princess Margaret Hospital, Dave Fearn Landlord at Highwayman, Steve Webster, Director of Finance and Information at Princess Margaret Hospital and Managing Director of Arkells Brewery, James Arkell.
The Highwayman at Elkstone near Cirencester has smashed a gallon whisky bottle full of change as part of its fundraising for the new Swindon hospital's Evolution Appeal, which will provide extra equipment for the new Great Western Hospital.
Customers and staff got into 'the spirit' of fundraising by filling the whisky bottle up to the brim with change in record time - and landlords David & Anne Fearn have already asked the Brewery for more bottles to fill.
"When we smashed the bottle, it contained £142.40 in change," said David, "And we're looking forward to doing the same again in the next few weeks."
With the help of its pub landlords and staff, local brewery Arkell's has committed to raising £25,000 towards equipping a Family Unit as part of the Evolution Appeal being organised by the Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust.
As part of its fund-raising efforts, the brewery has already provided hundreds of bears to its pubs and invited customers, for a £1 stake, to "Name That Bear" from a suggested forty names - which raised thousands of pounds and got the fundraising off to a great start.
Smashing the Bottle!
Teresa Hill, who is spearheading the Brewery charity appeal, is delighted that the idea has proved such a success: "All our pubs are really supporting the fundraising and David & Anne have been particularly enthusiastic in raising money through filling a bottle with cash.
She added: "We're proud to be funding The Family Unit at the new Great Western Hospital. Being a brewery with such a strong family tradition through the Gloucestershire family of Arkell's themselves and the many generations of other families who have worked at the brewery, we wanted to do what we could to help provide space and comfort to all families who find themselves there, for whatever reason."
Along with the bear, filling the Whisky Bottle is just one of a number of initiatives devised by Teresa and her team at Arkell's Brewery to raise money throughout 2002.
"We are also selling pin badges with bees on, and are currently looking at various ways to raise money during the winter months," she said.
More about The Highwayman...
Brewery Polishes Up Lords' Local
Lord and Lady Apsley (centre) celebrate the re-opening of the Golden Cross alongside, (from left) Licensee Glen Robinson and Arkell's Brewery Managing Director, James Arkell
One of Cirencester's oldest pubs has been brought into the 21st century and its owners are so delighted with the result they asked one of its more well-known locals to help them celebrate.
The Golden Cross in Black Jack Street started life as an 18th Century coaching inn on one of the town's Medieval Streets. Now local brewery Arkell's, which has owned the pub for over 130 years, has brought it bang up to date by enclosing the courtyard under a glass roof, building new ladies loos inside and extending the kitchen.
"As The Golden Cross is Lord Apsley's closest pub, just 50 yards away from his home at Cirencester Park, we asked him if he would be kind enough to unveil a plaque celebrating the renovations," said Arkell's Brewery managing director, James Arkell, who lives near Fairford.
At the official opening, on Tuesday 29th October, Lord Apsley pulled the first pint and commented that he had taken his last drink as a single man in The Golden Cross before his wedding, as well as buying his first pint at eighteen.
But before the renovation work started last July, Arkell's decided to ask archaeologists to have a look beneath the building's foundations.
"Black Jack Street dates back to the 14th and 15th centuries and is probably a lot older than that," says James, "So we thought there could be a lot of historical information lying underneath the pub."
According to a report prepared by the Archaeology Service at Gloucestershire County Council, not much is known of the layout of the buildings within the area of Black Jack Street, as there has been very little modern archaeological work carried out in the immediate vicinity.
Much to their surprise and disappointment, the brewery reported that archaeologists did not find anything unusual and James guesses this could be because the street has been continually occupied since it was built on top of an old Roman Town.
"These days we prefer to celebrate our heritage, but past generations were often more concerned with putting a building to good use than preserving any historical remains," he points out.
But a lack of historic artefacts and information has not put Arkell's Brewery off making its own mark on local history and Lord Apsley will unveil a plaque in honour of the work done on renovating The Golden Cross.
"Out of Arkell's Brewery's 101 pubs across Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Oxfordshire, The Golden Cross holds a special place in our affections as being the first pub bought by Arkell's in our home town of Cirencester," says James.
More about The Golden Cross...
Arkell's Pub 'Bear's All For New Hospital
George Arkell with The Bear's Landlady, Victoria Hill
After just eight weeks, The Bear Hotel in Marlborough has filled a gallon whisky bottle for the Evolution Appeal with £120 cash aimed at providing additional equipment for the new Great Western Hospital in Swindon.
Customers and staff got into 'the spirit' of fundraising by filling the whisky bottle up to the brim with change in record time- and landlords Andrew and Victoria Hall have already asked the Brewery for two more bottles to fill - this time they'll have one at each end of the bar, says Andrew.
With the help of its pub landlords and staff, Arkell's Brewery has committed to raising £25,000 towards equipping Family Support Areas as part of the Evolution Appeal being organised by the Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust.
As part of its fund-raising efforts, earlier this year the brewery provided hundreds of bears to its Wiltshire pubs and invited customers, for a £1 stake, to "Name That Bear" from a suggested forty names - which raised thousands of pounds and got the fundraising off to a great start.
Teresa Hill, who is spearheading the Brewery charity appeal, is delighted that the idea has proved such a success: "All our pubs are really supporting the fundraising and Andrew and Victoria have been particularly enthusiastic in raising money through filling a bottle with cash. Andrew tells me that he hates having to count up coppers in the till at the end of the evening so they've all been going in the bottle."
She added: "We're proud that our donation will go towards Family support areas within the Great Western Hospital. Being a brewery with such a strong family tradition through the Arkell's themselves and the many generations of families who have worked at the brewery, we wanted to do what we could to help provide space and comfort to all families who find themselves there, for whatever reason."
Along with the bear, filling the Whisky Bottle is just one of a number of initiatives devised by Teresa and her team at Arkell's Brewery to raise money throughout 2002.
"We are also selling pin badges with bees on, and are currently looking at various ways to raise money during the winter months," she said.
The Evolution Appeal is aiming to raise an extra £2.5 million towards equipment. This will allow the hospital to be equipped with the best, as well as allowing enough equipment to go around and make patient's progress through the hospital quicker and easier. Without the extra money, some of the older equipment, which is nearing the end of its serviceable life, will have to be transferred from Princess Margaret.
"The new Great Western Hospital is essential to all of us in the Swindon and surrounding communities," said James Arkell, Managing director at Arkell's Brewery. "As a family brewery, we are delighted to have the opportunity to contribute to such an essential and worthwhile cause. We are all committed to raising as much money as we can through a number of fund-raising activities which we also hope will prove enjoyable for our drinkers."
More about The Bear Hotel, Marlborough...
New Landlords Not Chickening Out.
Roger Waite and Sally Easton hoping to persuade a chicken to lay
When Roger Waite and Sally Easton applied to Arkell's Brewery to run one of their pubs, they didn't expect to take on a small menagerie as well.
After three months on Arkell's landlord waiting list, they were offered The Brewer's Arms in Wanborough, as long as they promised to look after the chickens, ducks, guinea pigs and fish!
According to James Arkell, managing director at Arkell's Brewery: "We had to find landlords who don't mind looking after all the animals, which have been at the pub for years."
But Roger is a bit worried about the chickens accepting him and Sally, as they haven't laid any eggs since they arrived two week's ago.
"We'll truly feel part of the pub the first time the chicken's lay some eggs," he said. "Until that time, we feel on probation."
Roger and Sally moved from The Crown at Aldbourne and, apart from the chickens' suspicious behaviour, feel very much at home in the village. Sally's daughter Stacey also works at the pub and since moving in they've met many of the locals, and also landlords from the other pubs in the village.
"Wanborough is a very friendly place, and although there are a lot of pubs here, they all tend to cater for a different drinker," said Sally. "With it's small menagerie and children's play area, The Brewer's Arms is definitely a family pub - and easy to find as it's the first pub you reach coming from Swindon."
"I'm sure that it won't be long before the chickens settle down again," said James. "We certainly hope that we don't see roast, free-range chicken on the menu in a couple of month's time - I'd rather see scrambled eggs."
