Hundreds raised for Poppy Appeal by Fletton pub selling commemorative ale
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Sales of a specially-brewed beer have helped a Fletton micro-pub to raise hundreds of pounds for this year’s Poppy Appeal.
The ever-popular Wonky Donkey on Fletton High Street amassed £730 through sales of its ‘Great Uncle Tom’ beer throughout November.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdDavid Williams, who co-owns the Wonky Donkey with his brother Andrew, said demand for the specially brewed ale was high.


“We sold out in a day,” he recalled.
Along with the Wonky Donkey, Great Uncle Tom was put on tap at sister venues The Frothblowers (Werrington), The Bumble Inn (Westgate) and The Thirsty Giraffe (Deeping St James).
David revealed that a lot of interest in the beer had been generated via preview articles in the Peterborough Telegraph and on Facebook.
“I believe there was more of an interest in the story behind the beer this year,” he said.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad

“We actually got a lot of interest from the Cambridgeshire Western Front Association - they did a story on it as well.”
The beer is named after David’s great uncle, Private Thomas Williams, who fought in the Great War as a machine gunner in the newly-formed Machine Gun Corps.
Described as a “proper hero” by his proud great-nephew, Tom managed to survive some of the bloodiest battles of the entire four-year conflict: Passchendaele, Ypres and the Somme.
Sadly, the 20-year-old soldier, like so many other young men in ‘the war to end all wars’, died on the battlefield; just ten days shy of his 21st birthday.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdDavid explained that the beer – which was brewed at the Mile Tree Brewery in Alfric Square, and launched in conjunction with The Royal British Legion – was batched in deliberately modest amounts.
“We only brewed four ‘pins’,” he said, “and they’re 36 pints each.”
“So there were only 144 pints to sell.”
Though David acknowledged there was a clear demand, he felt that the beer should remain something of a ‘limited edition’:
“They [customers] wanted more,” he shared, “but we’re just going to keep it exclusive and only do it for the Poppy Appeal.”
“We will keep it a yearly tradition.”