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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.

David Williams, who co-owns the Wonky Donkey with his brother Andrew, said demand for the specially brewed ale was high.

Wonky Donkey owners Steve, Andrew, Dave and Carol Williams hand over a cheque to Sandy Foster from the Royal British Legion following the sale of the Great Uncle Tom beer

“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.

David Williams' great uncle Tom (Private Thomas Williams) was just 18-years-old when he enlisted to fight in 'the war to end all wars' in 1915.

“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.

David 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.”

Hundreds raised for Poppy Appeal by Fletton pub selling commemorative ale