The Roebuck Inn in Mobberley, has donated £1,000 to the local village church after being shortlisted in the Community Hero category at the 2021/22 Great British Pub Awards.
The funding has come from category sponsor Coca-Cola, which has given money to all six shortlisted pubs, to help them continue with the community work that got them to the final.
When the coronavirus pandemic hit, Roebuck Inn owners Tim Bird and his wife and business partner Mary McLaughlin, wanted to help their local community, so they set up the Mobberley Pub Hub, with two team members, to provide a safe haven where people could come and collect takeaway food and much more.
The service was extremely popular and grew from grocery boxes and freshly prepared meals to heat at home, to a ‘shrub hub’ selling plants and the creation of a ‘Hub’ shop, that featured local produce and wine, which still exists today.
Now restrictions have eased, the Roebuck Inn team are looking for new ways to keep helping the community. Attention has turned to Mobberley Parish Church, St. Wilfrid’s, which has also played a crucial role in keeping people connected throughout the pandemic.
In 2021 the church purchased a property in the village centre to provide a safe space for local people to come together. The property, now called The Beacon, recently opened to the public.
There are plans to install a community café and run a parents and tots group, a dementia choir, a homework club, a men’s mental health group and a youth drop-in facility.
Tim Bird, Co-Owner of The Roebuck Inn commented: “We are immensely grateful for the recognition we have received through the Great British Pub Awards and from Coca-Cola. Our team work tirelessly for the good of the Roebuck and our local community, and we could not be prouder of them.
“The donation from Coca-Cola will go to our beloved Mobberley Parish Church and its Reverend, Ian Blay. The church plays a big part in our community, and we are pleased that the donation will be able to support the new Beacon facility.”
Holly Firmin, Senior Community Partnerships Manager at Coca-Cola added: “It’s been so inspiring to see how pubs and their customers have stepped up to support local people during the pandemic – despite many facing real challenges themselves.
“We’re thrilled to be able to help the team at The Roebuck Inn continue their support for people of Mobberley. Funding this donation is our way of saying a huge well done and thank you!”
The team at the Roebuck Inn are so chuffed to have got past the ‘fierce judging’ in round two and make it successfully through to two finals of the Great British Pub Awards.
The Roebuck Inn has also made the final of the ‘Best Pub with Rooms 2021’ after many acknowledgements from Alistair Sawday’s, Booking.com and the National press. We are very proud of our bedrooms and all the recognition we have received for them. They are unique in style and comfort and the service we offer in support of the bedroom business to a very high standard.
Please see the letter we received below….
We are exceptionally proud to announce that Pub and Bar Magazine has chosen the Church Inn as their ‘Best Pub in Cheshire’ for the third year running. The awards could not take place in 2020, for obvious reasons. The Church Inn is the current Pub and Bar Magazine’s Best Pub in the UK, having won the top prize for the second time in May 2019.
The team at the Roebuck Inn are very excited to be in the second round of ‘fierce judging’ for the Great British Pub Awards. In 2020 and 2021 the Roebuck Inn became a community ‘Pub Hub’ and remained open for every one of the 34 weeks of lockdown. During this time the Hub sold and delivered in excess of 20,000 ‘Just Heat’ dishes out to the community. Wine, ale and lager was sold ‘to go’, even a ‘Shrub Hub’ appeared, selling anything from Lavender, to geraniums and the odd bag of compost! Add to this a Hamper business in lockdown 2 and the most amazing fresh fish and chips, hot drinks to go, walkers baps, and ‘Just Heat’ Roast Beef lunches of lockdown 3 and everyone will agree the Roebuck Inn deserves to be recognised as ‘Community Pub of the Year 2021’.
We are proud to announce we have achieved a ‘Foodie Treble’! In December just before ‘lockdown 3’ the Cholmondeley Arms was chosen by the Good Pub Guide as ‘County Dining Pub of the Year 2021’! This was a really fantastic achievement for the Cholmondeley Arms kitchen team led by Andy. It is the third time the ‘Chum’ has won this award 1996 and 2001 and now 20 years later we’ve achieved the honour again!
