Managers, The Three Blackbirds in Llantamam, Cwmbran: Melanie and Paul Gavin

Ale Aid campaign raises cash for charity – while giving local brewers a boost

7th September 2010, 11:50am

Orchid Group's Ale Aid Campaign has raised £11,500 for good causes thanks to its fundraising scheme that donates 10p from the sale of a pint of locally brewed ale to charity.

The Ale Aid scheme, which has already been taken up by more than 50 Orchid pubs across the UK has seen more than 115,000 pints of ale sold - raising over £11,500 for local charities.

The scheme links individual pubs with a local brewer, who then creates a personalised ale for the pub to start selling.

It is left to the managers and their regulars to decide which charity they feel they would like to support with the monies raised.

Each pub also gets the chance to name its drink, with many taking the opportunity to serve ale with the pub name on it. These include Ship Ale, brewed by Weetwood Ales for The Ship Inn in Rainhill, Merseyside.

The personalised beer is said to be a "permanent fixture" on the bar. All of the funds received at this venue go to the Lilac centre at St Helen's Hospital, where cancer patients are given chemotherapy.

Managers Rita and Ian Pidgeon said: "We're passionate about real ales at the Ship Inn so 'Ale Aid' seemed the perfect partnership. Our customers like to know they are helping such a worthwhile local cause at the same time as enjoying their pint!"

Elsewhere at the Three Blackbirds in Llantarnam, Cwmbran, the funds raised by Blackbirds' Ale will be donated to St Anne's Hospice. It is Gwent's only in-patient hospice with a palliative care unit. The ale served here was created by the Wye Valley Brewery in Stoke Lacy. Managers Melanie & Paul Gavin, pictured, said: "Real ales complement and complete our great range of drinks and we are now helping a fantastic local cause at the same time."

Wayne Penfold, marketing manager for Orchid's Free House pubs, said: "Our business is all about running great local pubs, so craft beers from local breweries are a core part of our drinks range. The Ale Aid scheme means that we can support Britain's regional brewing trade, while also helping our pubs to raise funds for good causes.

"There's complete flexibility, so some pubs have put Ale Aid beers on for a guest period, while others have them as a permanent fixture on the bar.

"Equally, some of our pubs have chosen to raise funds for national charities, such as Help for Heroes, while others support local causes which may have a direct links with their regulars."

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