Industry Quick to Support Brewerâs Charity Effort
Friday, March 12th, 2010
The brewing and pub industry has been quick to support the efforts of Shropshire brewer Edward Wood to raise thousands of pounds for charity.
Edward, MD of the family owned and run Wood Brewery in Wistanstow, South Shropshire, is cycling almost 1,000 miles from Landâs End to John OâGroats in May to mark two milestone birthdays â the breweryâs 30th and his own 60th.
In the process he aims to raise at least ÂŁ6,000 for Midlands Air Ambulance â the charity whose swift airlift two years ago saved the life of his son Jonathan when he suffered a life-threatening head injury in a freak cricketing accident.
Edward said: âI circulated fellow brewers and suppliers to let them know what I was doing, and the response has been fantastic. Iâve already had cheques in from several breweries â Sarah Hughes, Purple Moose, Bathams, Wye Valley, Ludlow, Uley, Severn Valley, Holdens and Burtonbridge â and Iâve got promises of a lot more to follow. Weâre past the ÂŁ2,000 mark already. Thanks to everyone who has stumped up to date.â
To contribute to Edwardâs fund-raising, phone him at the brewery on 01588 672523 or email Edward@woodbrewery.co.uk
In addition to the personal effort of cycling, the Wood Brewery Managing Director is inviting pubgoers to contribute in a more relaxed way â by buying a special double birthday brew, Woodâs 30-60 Challenge. The 3.6% ABV bitter will be on free house bars from April. The brewery will donate 10p to the Air Ambulance cause for every pint of 30-60 it sells.
âThese are big birthdays for me, so I wanted to do something memorable by raising money for a cause that I know, from close personal experience, is very worthwhile,â said Edward. âI often cycle the two miles from home to the brewery in Wistanstow and back, so I thought it was the right time to take on something more ambitious!â
Edward, who has previously run the London Marathon and taken part in other endurance events, has been training for the John OâGroats adventure since January and is aiming to complete the ride in 12 days, starting on 4 May. He will cycle an average of 95 miles by day, celebrating his 60th birthday on 13 May somewhere in Scotland.
He recently handed over a cheque for ÂŁ1,000 to Midlands Air Ambulance after brewing Triple A (Air Ambulance Ale) to mark the lifeline serviceâs 18 years in the air.
The Air Ambulance provides the primary response to counties including the West Midlands, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, dealing with over 3,500 callouts each year. It operates from Tatenhill Airport in Staffordshire, RAF Cosford, near Wolverhampton, and Strensham North Services on the M5. The cost of running and maintaining current level of operations stands at ÂŁ5.6 million, for which the organisation relies entirely on voluntary donations.
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