Pub near Peterborough receives COVID Community Hero Award

The Bull Pub in Newborough has received the award that has been created by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Beer during the first lockdown in March to recognise those who went the extra mile.

During that time, Jacki Wood, who has been running the pub for the last three years, cooked meals three times a week for the elderly in the village and had them delivered, repurposed the pub into a foodbank and would regularly check in with the same people to see if they needed shopping or other items.

When the pub was allowed to reopen, they continued to offer some of their regular elderly customers their Sunday dinner free of charge.

The pub also has a reputation for its generosity towards charity with annual fundraising events usually raising between £3-4000 for Great Ormond Street Hospital. A cause close to Jacki’s heart as they treated one of her grandchildren when they needed major heart surgery.

Even this year, with the public events having to be cancelled, the pub still managed to raise £400 for the children’s hospital.

The pub has now been closed since October but has continued to keep the community spirit alive with weekly quizzes every Sunday and there are plans to create a window display of pictures and messages to brighten up the village this Valentine’s Day. Jacki even says that she is willing to open the pub as a vaccination centre, in the same way it was used as a polling station in the last election, to help with the ongoing rollout if required.

She said: I couldn’t believe it when I heard we were getting the award, I was absolutely over the moon. I haven’t done anything that I don’t think anyone wouldn’t have done.

“It’s been one big team effort aswell from people in the community, helping to deliver meals and checking if there was anything any of the more vulnerable residents needed. It’s amazing what can be achieved when people come together.

“I think it’s really important to bring the community together, even more so at a time like this and to keep the pub at the heart of the community.

“It’s the little things like the Valentine’s display that help keep people’s spirits up. The quizzes aswell, they have proved really successful and we now have people taking part from London.

“I can’t wait to get back to normal, in the meantime we are having a bit of a clean up and refurbish inside and as soon as we are able to we will be holding a fundraising event for the NHS Charities.”

Jacki was presented with the award late last month by Peterborough MP Paul Bristow.

Mr Bristow added: “Jacki and the team at The Bull Pub Newborough did super work last year during the first lockdown supporting others in the community. The All Party Parliamentary Group on Beer set up the COVID Community Hero awards to recognise those who went the extra mile and it was great to be able to say thank you.

“This pandemic has been so hard on pubs and hospitality but many pubs still did what they could to help others. This shows the value of pubs like the Bull to a community like Newborough.

“Newborough really came together during this pandemic and many villagers worked hard to support those that might be struggling. It really is a great village full of community minded people.”