George Sheffield has raised an impressive £2,722 for Teenage Cancer Trust after welcoming more than 500 people to its annual George Music Fest fundraiser.
The three-day event, held from Friday 31 July to Sunday 2 August, formed part of Craft Fest, a summer initiative from Craft Union pubs across the UK that sees operators host community events and fundraisers for charities close to their hearts. Guests enjoyed live entertainment throughout the weekend, with festivities taking place outdoors during the day before continuing inside the pub each evening.
The pub chose to support Teenage Cancer Trust in memory of Thomas Flack, a local who sadly passed away from cancer more than 10 years ago. Thomas’ parents, Glynn and Hazel, who live opposite the pub, have continued to raise money for the charity in his memory ever since.
When the current operators took over George Sheffield almost two years ago, Glynn asked if he could leave charity collection buckets in the pub to support the cause. The team were proud to do so and, because the charity is so closely connected to a local family and Thomas’ memory, they wanted to build on that support by making Teenage Cancer Trust the focus of this year’s Craft Fest fundraiser.
The £2,722 total also includes money raised through a family fun day organised by regulars Paul and Claire, who are both living with cancer, as well as an auction held the week before the event by local personality Spencer Starkes. Local businesses and regular customers also donated prizes and supported the fundraising throughout the campaign.
Christopher and Angelique, Operators at George Sheffield, said: “Teenage Cancer Trust is a charity that means so much to us and to so many people in our area. From the moment we took over the pub, we knew we wanted to support Glynn and Hazel in keeping Thomas’s memory alive and help raise as much as possible for such an important cause.
“Watching months of planning and hard work come together was incredible, but the highlight was seeing everyone enjoying themselves while raising money in Thomas’s memory. The support from our regulars, local businesses and everyone who came along was overwhelming, and we’re so grateful to everyone who helped make the weekend such a success.
“We were determined to beat last year’s total, so we introduced even more fundraising activities. We hoped it would make a difference, but we never expected the response to be quite so amazing. The entertainment was brilliant and we’ve already booked some of the acts to return next year. We can’t wait to do it all again.”