Kettering pub held ‘Woolyfest’ to raise funds for lifesaving charity

The Woolcomber Pub in Kettering held a family fun day named ‘Woolyfest’ to raise vital funds to support the lifesaving Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (WNAA) – as the charity celebrates 20 years of vital service.

‘Woolyfest’ took place at the Woolcomber Pub on Sunday 27 August from 1.00pm until 11.00pm, with eight bands performing throughout the day and a variety of stalls raising funds for the lifesaving charity.

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.

All Pub Club participants get full support from a dedicated Community Fundraising Executive in their local area as well as bespoke collateral to help promote their involvement and support for the charity.

Donna Rebhan, the landlady of the Woolcomber Pub chose to support the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance this year due to a personal connection with the charity.

“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,” said Donna Rebhan.

“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 lifesaving charity and we also placed a memorial bench for Paul Green on the day,” she added.

The Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance crew are available 24/7, 365 days per year, providing lifesaving pre-hospital care to those who need it the most. The charity receives no government or NHS funding and relies solely on generous donations from its supporters to fund its vital missions – without this they wouldn’t be able to continue their lifesaving missions across Northamptonshire and further afield.

Karen Hughes, Community Fundraising Executive for Northamptonshire said:

“We are so grateful that the Woolcomber Pub have 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,” she added.

If you’d like to get involved or find out more about our Pub Club then visit https://www.theairambulanceservice.org.uk/get-involved/fundraising/fundraising-ideas/pub-club-fundraising/

Anyone wishing to find out more about the vital service, or how to support the charity can visit: www.theairambulanceservice.org.uk or call 0300 3045 999.