The Dog and Parrot in Nottingham and the pub’s regular, Glyn Hassell, won the ‘Community Regular Hero Award’ at the Matthew Clark and PubAid Community Pub Hero Awards for 2022/23.
Glyn, who is a regular at the Eastwood pub, won the award due to his work with the pub to raise more than £45,000 for charity, including MS Society, RSPCA, Children’s Air Ambulance and Combat Stress.
We caught up with the Dog and Parrot and Glyn to hear what they’ve been up to since the awards and what it meant to win last year.
If you want to join the list of community hero winners, entries for this year’s Matthew Clark Community Pub Hero Awards are open now and you can enter here.
Q. You won the ‘Community Regular Hero’ award last year. What benefits have you seen since winning at the awards?
It raised our profile hugely, with local and national recognition. It was also a source of celebration for the customers and the community, who have done so much for charities and organisations.
Q. How important has it been to be recognised for the work the pub does in the community?
This award was always about the Dog & Parrot family. They do so much, given that Eastwood is a deprived area. They are the heroes, and it was incredible for them to be recognised with such a prestigious award.
Q. What has the pub been doing since it won?
The good work has carried on, with charity events, monies raised and, since winning the award, the creation of the Dog & Parrot Community Fund, that helps people directly in the local community.
Q. Do you have any plans to do more as a pub in your community, for charity, for grassroot sports or for sustainability and going green?
We will never rest on our laurels. People are struggling more and more to cope and we will be there to support them. As well as working with a local charity to bring much needed community services to Eastwood, we are also working with the NHS on the Integrated Neighbourhood Working project.
Q. Did the Community Pub Hero Awards enable you to forge a working relationship with any of your local MPs or did you benefit from meeting with MPs at the awards event at the House of Commons?
It was a great networking event, and we have made good use of our new contacts. Also our local MP gave us a tour of the Houses of Parliament, which was a real treat.
Q. How easy was it to enter the Community Pub Hero Awards?
It was really easy. The links are simple to follow and it couldn’t be easier to fill in and submit.
Q. Are you entering the Community Pub Hero Awards again for 2024?
We certainly are!
Q. Why should other pubs enter the Community Pub Hero Awards?
This is a prestigious national award, and pubs should be recognised for all the incredible good that they do.
The 2024 categories include:
Enter or nominate someone for the 2024 Community Pub Hero Awards here. Entries close 19th January 2024.
