Boars Head raises thousands for Willowbrook Hospice with Boars Fest

With former landlord Alex O'Neill making the Boars Head well known for its tight-knit community and various charity events, this is what Nathan Valentine was keen to continue once he took over the reins of the Elton Head Road pub in April.

Aware of how important the charitable side of the pub is to regulars, Nathan and the team hosted their first 'Boars Fest' at the end of August, which the staff, regulars and brewery have seen as a resounding success.

With the two day festival raising money for Willowbrook Hospice, there was a host of live singers and entertainment, kids activities, and street food stalls.

Local firefighters also came down to visit the pub in their fire engine, which helped the Boars Head to raise £1,600 for the end-of-life hospice.

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A youngster enjoying the fire engine (Image: Nathan Valentine) Nathan, who is originally from Salford, said: "The event was a massive success and I could not be more proud of how the staff and the community pulled it all together and made it an event to remember.

"We ended up raising £1,600.00 for Willowbrook and I would not have been able to pull the event off if it was not for Jamie Alcock who is my resident DJ and showed me the ropes.

"I honestly want to thank every single person that came and made it an event to remember bring on Boars Fest 2025 it will be bigger and better!"

A local fire engine was one of the attractions at 'Boars Fest' (Image: Nathan Valentine) Aiming to organise further fundraisers in the future, Nathan, says that the Admiral Taverns pub will also act as a foodbank drop-off point all year round.

With Admiral encouraging its pubs to host regular fundraising events, almost £100,000 has been raised in three months, the pub operator has said.

Nathan has been keen to carry on the fundraising at the Boars Head (Image: Nathan Valentine) Mark Brooke, Managing Director at Admiral's Proper Pubs division, commented: “I would like to thank everyone who came together to make this happen.

"As always, I’m absolutely blown away by the creativity of our incredible operators for organizing these fundraising events and of course by the generosity of their communities.

"We believe pubs are so much more than just a place to drink, but rather social hubs that support all aspects of community life, and I think this stands testament to that.”