The Royal Oak pub in Chapel Ash, Wolverhampton, has scooped two big prizes at the 2025 PubAid Community Pub Hero Awards.
Terry Cole and Keith Fulwood, of The Royal Oak, with Tonia Antoniazzi, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group
The ceremony was attended by MPs, pub teams, and other industry leaders in the House of Commons this week.
The awards, established by PubAid, celebrate UK pubs as the unsung heroes of their local communities. They recognise pubs’ significant contribution to local causes, from fundraising and grassroots sport to sustainability and community support.
At the event, Marston’s licensee Terry Cole and his father-in-law Keith Fulwood, whose family have run The Royal Oak for the past 19 years, were awarded the fundraising community pub award for England, in recognition of their team’s incredible fundraising activities in the local Wolverhampton community.
Out of nearly 700 entries nationwide, The Royal Oak was also named the overall national winner of the night, scooping the award for outstanding contribution to the pub industry.
Support for blood bikes
The pub was awarded the honour due to its tireless support of the Midland Freewheelers Blood Bikes, a voluntary service that supports the NHS by delivering blood, samples, and medication 24 hours a day.
The pub bought an £18,000 motorbike for the charity and helps to raise money to maintain its full fleet of 10 bikes and three cars. The pub’s support has enabled the charity to complete more than 6,000 jobs free of charge for the NHS and patients. In addition, three of the pub’s regular customers have now become fully trained Blood Bikers, and one of its management team has joined as a coordinator and already completed more than 75 shifts while still running the pub.
“These awards celebrate everything that makes a pub the heart of the community, and we couldn’t be prouder to bring them home to Chapel Ash,” said Terry.
“From charity events to local support, this is testament to what we can achieve together. A massive thank you to everyone who has supported us in keeping the community spirit alive and strong. This is as much your win as it is ours.”
