On King Charles’ official birthday, around 500 villagers gathered in All Cannings, Wiltshire, to honour their own ‘King of The King’s’.
Villagers take part in a toast to champion fundraising publican Richard ‘Barney’ Balau.
Photograph: Jill Newton
They were marking the 20th anniversary of Richard ‘Barney’ Balau taking on The King’s Arms, a Wadworth pub he has transformed it into one of Wiltshire’s most popular dining pubs.
Over the years, he has also raised thousands of pounds for the village’s primary school, pre-school, and numerous community amenities.
Barney put the hidden-away village (population 650) on the map by staging the annual Concert At The King’s rock shows in the pub garden since 2012. These shows have been supported by Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Bob Geldof, and have raised £202,000 for cancer charities.
The gigs, organised by Barney in conjunction with fellow cancer survivors — and King’s Arms regulars— John Callis and Andy Scott (lead guitarist with The Sweet) saw performances by top acts. These included Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen, Midge Ure, Squeeze, 10cc, Steve Harley, The Boomtown Rats, Suzi Quatro, The Stranglers, and Billy Ocean.
Barney with his letter from King Charles.
Photograph: Tim Daw
Besides benefiting cancer charities, money raised from the concerts has paid for playground equipment for the village children, a village defibrillator, equipment for the local cricket club, the repair of the church clock, repair of the village hall, tarmacking a pathway for the village allotments, equipment for the village school and pre-school, and also for the village’s Platinum Jubilee, Royal Wedding, and Coronation parties, as well as other events.
“Every part of the All Cannings community has benefited from Barney’s generosity over the last 20 years, and so we all wanted to say thank you with this party,” said village resident Simon Collier, co-organiser of the weekend’s event.
“It coincided with celebrating His Majesty The King’s official birthday, but we also celebrated another king, Barney, our king of The King’s.”
Villagers made 34 celebration cakes for the party, at which free sideshows were enjoyed, including limbo dancing, a yard of ale competition, hoopla, wet sponge throwing, and ‘pin the crown on Barney’, a version of pin the tail on the donkey. There was also the premier screening of film-maker Mark Lawrence’s documentary of the concerts at The King’s.
Wadworth chairman Charles Bartholomew unveils a commemorative plaque.
Photograph: Tim Daw
As a special highlight, Charles Bartholomew, chairman of Wadworth Brewery, unveiled a commemorative plaque to mark the occasion, at which beer was sold at 2003 prices. One of those pints of 6X, pulled by Barney for customer Paul Swann, from The Wirral, was approximately calculated to be the 1,000,000th pint pulled at the pub in his 20 years.
“It was a wonderful celebration, and I was very touched by people’s kindness in coming along,” said Barney. “And I was surprised that so many attended. I thought we’d have a few, but not that many. Some came from as far as London and Liverpool!”
But there was another surprise in store. Organisers secretly wrote to ‘the other king’ to tell His Majesty about Barney’s achievements, and the King wrote back.
The letter from Buckingham Palace read: “I can tell you that His Majesty sincerely hopes all at The King’s Arms will have a very happy celebration, and I am enclosing a Coronation card as a souvenir for Mr Baulu, sent with The King’s best wishes.”
