Wolverhampton pub wins Community Spirit accolade at Marston's awards

The Royal Oak, on Chapel Ash in Wolverhampton, was handed the Community Spirit 2022 accolade at Marston's Pub of the Year awards.

The venue fought off competition from a large bar in Cardiff and another pub in Belper, Derbyshire, to claim the win on May 5 in Birmingham.

Terry Cole, who runs the pub with his wife Emma, said: "It's a national award for community spirit, so it was awarded for what we do for the local community and for our locals.

"We did packages for the homeless over Christmas – we had about 130 or 140 packages – and we checked in on the old boys during lockdown, making sure they were alright, and we've put on lots of charity events.

"We were up against a fairly large bar in Cardiff and a pub in Belper. We didn't think we would have a chance this year and when he (the announcer) started talking about the pub, we knew it was us – so we were really pleased.

"We didn't win pub of the year overall, but to win this one is a nice accolade to have."

Marston's Pub of the Year awards were held at Park Regis, on Broad Street in Birmingham, and is described as being the "Marston's version of the Oscars".

Terry, aged 44, is currently in training for a 22-mile walk for Combat Stress whilst Emma, 36, has recently raised £2,000 for the Midlands Freewheelers.

The Community Spirit 2022 award will take pride of place in the pub alongside the other accolades at the pub, including a Pub of the Year overall win in 2019.

Terry, who is from Bradmore in Wolverhampton along with his wife, added: "I would like to say 'thank you very much for your support' to our customers, the Royal Oak is not the Royal Oak without my customers.

"And I would also like to thank my staff for all the hard work they've done over the years. When you read our Google reviews it's all about them and how good they are, so I'd like to thank them too."