Great British Bake Off winner Candice Brown has hosted a Thank You BBQ at her pub to celebrate local legends and help inspire other pubs to get involved ahead of thank You Day on Sunday, 7 July.
Candice was joined at The Green Man in Eversholt, Bedfordshire, by TV chef and entrepreneur Levi Roots who was on the BBQ to help feed local heroes including volunteers from the Milton Keynes Food Bank and NSPCC, teachers and students from a neighbourhood school and Women’s Institute members.
Pubs getting involved are being encouraged to collaborate with others to arrange special activities that help foster community connections and celebrate great community spirit.
Candice said: “Pubs have always been at the heart of our communities. They are places where people come together to share stories, celebrate successes, and support each other. Thank You Day is a wonderful opportunity to recognise and celebrate the incredible people who make a difference in our local areas.”
She adds: “I encourage pubs to do something special for Thank You Day, Whether that be a free drink for volunteers, or hosting a BB-Thank-Q. Invite your community in and do a little something to give something back.”
Social value of pubs shown again
John Longden, chief executive, Pub is The Hub said: “It’s wonderful to see many pubs across the UK getting involved in this year’s Thank You Day events. Being involved in Thank You Day allows us to show our admiration for the volunteers that make a big difference to people living in their local areas. It is another example of the invaluable role and social value good publicans continue to bring to their communities, particularly in this challenging time.”
He added: “Pub is The Hub wishes to also show appreciation to publicans, many of which are often local legends themselves, going above and beyond for their local people through the services and activities they help provide and the daily acts of kindness they show to individuals, groups and charities.”
Pubs celebrating local legend
The team at The White Lion at Selling in Kent, a pub that Pub is The Hub has previously supported through a INN CROWD project partnership, are looking forward to hosting a ‘socialising, sangria, snacks and sunshine’ Thank You Day event.
Around 40 local legends are due to attend including local litter pickers, village hall volunteers, Brownie helpers and parish councillors. Also the organisers of the village fete which is taking place the previous week.
Publican Karen Johnson said: “We are really excited to be taking part in Thank You Day for the first time and celebrating Selling’s Superstars! We have sent out invites to people we know make a huge contribution to our community and invited locals to nominate people too.”
She adds: “Thank You Day offers a wonderful opportunity to show personal thanks to all the local legends who help make our village such a special place to live.”
Pubs help drive togetherness
The involvement of pubs in Thank You Day highlights the social value a great pub and publican have in their local area. A YouGov polling in 2023 found that 81 percent of Britons felt they were important in bringing people together.
Thank You Day follows on from the huge success of the Big Help Out Weekend earlier this month – in which 6 and a half million people took part. A Walnut Omnibus survey found that 76% of participants felt the event made them feel a stronger sense of belonging in their community
Social, cultural and community value of pubs
Emma McClarkin Chief Executive of the British Beer & Pub Association said: ““The value that pubs bring to local areas, be they on a busy urban high street or in a countryside village, is more than the economic; it is also the social, cultural and community value that makes pubs such an essential and dynamic part in knitting together neighbourhoods and promoting social cohesion.”
She adds: “Each year pubs help raise over £100 million for charities and there are numerous examples of pubs hosting local voluntary groups in bringing together people in achieving good causes for their communities. There can be no better place to celebrate these volunteers than by saying Thank You than in their local pub.”
Pubs are also being encouraged to take part in a ‘Cheers For Volunteers’ and raise a cuppa or a drink to local volunteers.
Range of organisations backing Thank You Day
Thank You Day, now in its fourth year, is organised by the Together coalition, and supported by organisations like the Scouts, Guides, the NHS, Royal Voluntary Service, the Football Association, the Church of England and hundreds more. The campaign has reached 15 million people since launching in 2021. Last year 1.3million people organised a Thank You Day activity.
Get involved now
More information about how pubs can get involved here: thankyou day.org.uk.
Download a free Thank You Day Guide For Pubs here: Thank you day partner pack 2024
