Pints of Support for Guide Dogs
With National Guide Dogs Week getting underway on the 4th October Steve Bowles a Worksop Guide Dog owner wanted to come up with an innovative way to raise awareness and much needed funds for the charity.
Steve says; ‘A friend mentioned that he had seen a beer that had been brewed for another charity and I thought what a great idea, so I had a look for a local brewery and up popped Welbeck Abbey’
Steve made contact with Head Brewer, Claire Monk, who herself had said she was looking to work with a local charity and so a partnership was brewed, so to speak.
Welbeck Abbey is an independent micro brewery based in the grounds of The Welbeck Estate. Steve, his guide dog May, and local volunteer Eddie, went along to meet Claire and set about choosing ingredients for their beer. The recipe was finalised with the help of Pete and Kimberley, two other Worksop Guide Dog owners. Claire says ‘They knew exactly what type of beer they wanted and were instrumental in the whole process’.
On Wednesday evening at The Grey horses Inn, Carlton in Lindrick, the first pint of ‘Barley May’ was pulled for the public and it went down a treat. The beer is aptly named after the two guide dogs in the Worksop volunteering group Barley & May, and May was there to take centre stage at the launch.
Over 3000 pints of Barley May has been brewed and is available in over 40 pubs in the area with 10p from every pint going to Guide Dogs. ‘It was a pleasure to meet Steve and May and to be able to help a local charity’ says Claire.
‘We are very grateful to Claire and the whole Welbeck Abbey team for supporting Worksop Guide Dogs; this was a great start to the Guide Dogs Week activities’ Says Jo Berry Community Fundraiser for the Charity.
This year we are asking people to Donate an Hour during guide dogs week and become one of ‘Hour Heroes’ to find out how you can get involved please go to www.guidedogs.org.uk/GDW14
