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Brewery donates £28k to disability charity
UK-based brewery Thwaites has handed over a cheque for £28,000 to a disability charity following its “Give a Dam” campaign to mark the 70th anniversary of the World War II Dambusters raid.
Desmond Gallagher, Steve Magnall, Hugo Middlemas, Natalie Varney, Earl Baker, Peter Slinger.
Since May, Thwaites has donated 5p from selected pint and bottled beer sales of its Lancaster Bomber ale to the Leonard Cheshire Disability charity.
The brewer also held a series of “Dam Hard Quizzes” at Thwaites’ pubs across the country, sponsored 617 Squadron in their Le Court to Lossiemouth run and launched a limited edition t-shirt to raise funds for the charity.
Leonard Cheshire Disability was founded by Group Captain Leonard Cheshire, who led 617 Squadron during the war and went on to receive the Victoria Cross, in 1944.
Today it is the largest charity providing services to disabled people and supports thousands of people with physical and learning disabilities.
Thwaites’ partnership with the charity, which began last May, was timed to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the famous World War II Dambusters raid, in which the Lancaster Bomber aircraft was so integral.
Steve Magnall, Thwaites managing director said: “Leonard Cheshire Disability provides invaluable services to disabled people and has incredibly strong links with the RAF No. 617 ‘Dambusters’ Squadron, through its founder Leonard Cheshire. It was very important to us to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the raid appropriately and we felt the Give A Damn campaign would raise money for disabled people, whilst remembering the bravery of those men who sacrificed their lives for our freedom.
He added: “We’d like to extend our gratitude to all those ale retailers and drinkers who have raised a glass of Lancaster Bomber in remembrance.”
A cheque presentation was held at The Greatham Inn in Liss on 6 February.
Hugo Middlemas, director of fundraising for Leonard Cheshire Disability, said: “We were thrilled when Thwaites told us they wanted to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Dambusters raid by donating a proportion of the sales of Lancaster Bomber to Leonard Cheshire.
“Looking at the terrific amount of money raised in such a short space of time, it appears that ale drinkers around the UK have really taken the cause to their hearts.
“The donation will help fund accessible transport, activities and volunteer support to enable disabled people who use our services to live life to the full. Our founder’s place in the history of No. 617 Squadron is an incredibly important part of our legacy and there can be no better way to honour his memory than by receiving this cheque here today – just miles from Le Court where the first Cheshire home was founded.”
Lancaster Bomber – which has twice been voted Best English Bitter at the European Beer Star Awards – is a classic English ale, at 4.4 per cent ABV. It is available to buy on cask or in bottles.