The Coal & Cotton in Boothstown has donated £1,000 from Coca-Cola to local charity St Anne’s Hospice after being shortlisted in the Community Hero category at this year’s Great British Pub Awards.
James Billson and his staff at The Coal & Cotton made it to the last six in the Community Hero category. All the shortlisted pubs have been awarded funding by category sponsor Coca-Cola, to help them continue with the community work that got them to the final.
Since The Coal & Cotton opened in November 2019, community has been a huge part of everything the pub has done, whether that’s keeping community engagement going through Covid lockdowns with takeaways and food donations, or providing free meals for school children during the holidays.
In lockdown, James and his team introduced ‘Feel Good Fridays’ where the staff would pick a local organisation to donate ten pizzas to. This is what kick-started the pub’s relationship with St Anne’s Hospice.
James chose to donate the prize money to St Anne’s Hospice after learning that the hospice relies on charitable donations. With the cost of running the care home only increasing, and so many locals with friends or relatives receiving support from the hospice, James felt it was the perfect organisation for the money to be donated to.
St Anne’s Hospice helps people across Greater Manchester who are over the age of 18 and affected by life-limiting illnesses, as well as supporting their loved ones and carers.
James Billson, General Manager of The Coal & Cotton commented: “The community is hugely important to us at The Coal & Cotton. We know a lot of our locals have someone close to them that have needed the support and services of St Anne’s Hospice, so it is only right that our prize money went to them.
“It is amazing to have been shortlisted in the Community Hero category at the Great British Pub Awards. We only opened in 2019 and with the various lockdowns of the last couple of years, we haven’t been trading long, but our community has always been our top priority. I look forward to continuing everything we do for both residents and community groups in Boothstown and beyond, with the help of my fantastic team.”
Holly Firmin, Senior Community Partnerships Manager at Coca-Cola added: “It’s been so inspiring to see how pubs have supported local people throughout the pandemic and now in the tough economic climate we’re all experiencing.
“We’re pleased to be helping the team at The Coal & Cotton and the wider community in Boothstown. Funding this donation is our way of saying a huge well done and thank you.”
