Kettering pub raises vital funds for life-saving air ambulance service after holding 'Woolyfest'

A Kettering pub raised almost £1,000 for the air ambulance service after holding a family fun day.

The Woolcomber in St John’s Road put on ‘Woolyfest’ on August 27, with eight bands performing throughout the day and a variety of stalls on offer.

They decided to raise funds for the life-saving Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (WNAA) after they previously attended an incident involving one of their regulars.

And now the cash has been counted it’s been confirmed that they raised a brilliant £918.92.

Donna Rebhan, the pub’s landlady, said: “We like to support a charity each year that our customers choose, and this year we decided on the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance as one of our well-loved regulars Paul Green was attended by the crew back in 2022.

“Sadly, Paul passed away, but we know how important it is that the crews are able to provide pre-hospital critical care as quickly as possible to those in need. Without our support they wouldn’t be able to continue to provide this.

“We would like to thank everyone who attended our ‘Woolyfest’. Without your support this day wouldn’t have been possible. We raised a total of £918.92 to support the life-saving charity and we also placed a memorial bench for Paul Green on the day.”

The pub recently joined the charity’s new initiative, Pub Club, which brings together landlords, breweries and pub visitors to give them a place to fundraise through a whole host of means such as quizzes, games tournaments, family fun days and themed evenings in support of the local service.

Karen Hughes, the WNAA’s community fundraising executive for Northamptonshire, said: “We are so grateful that The Woolcomber pub has chosen to join our Pub Club and support our new fundraising initiative. This is a brand new, fun way to not only support our lifesaving service but also to get the community involved to showcase how local pubs really are at the heart of a community, and ‘Woolyfest’ was a success.”

“We don’t receive National Lottery or government funding, so rely entirely on voluntary donations and support from communities and businesses like The Woolcomber pub. Support through initiatives such as this is vital to keep our lifesaving service operational.”