Words by Ed King
The Swan pub recently raised over five thousand pounds to help support John Taylor Hospice in Erdington.
The popular local boozer organised a series of fundraising events to raise money for Birmingham Hospice, the charity which manages end of life and palliative care facilities in both Erdington and Selly Oak.
Events including hamper raffles, toy drives, clothes collections, and book sales, saw The Swan raise a total £5,140 from generous regulars and local residents.
Throughout January, staff at The Swan also gave up alcohol in bid to raise even more funds for the hospice charity, with bar top collection buckets getting a steady stream of donations.
Staff at The Swan thank the generosity of the Erdington community, with many local residents and pub regulars having personal connections to John Taylor Hospice.
Pub operator Wayne Hinton told: “To see the community come together to support such an important charity was a heartwarming and prime example of what makes the Erdington community so brilliant.
“The hospice is very close to all of us in the area and I’d like to personally thank every single person who has been generous enough to give money to a fantastic cause.”
He added: “A huge thanks must also go to our own staff who have not been afraid to get stuck in, raising a huge £5,140, and we’re not going to stop there! We have plenty more fundraising efforts to come in the coming months so watch this space!”
The Swan, located at 65 Erdington High Street, is a longstanding and popular community pub, operated as part of the Stonegate owned Craft Union Pub Company.
Recent fundraising efforts are part Craft Union’s ‘Make it a Million’ campaign, which started in 2024 and aimed to raise £1 million for local causes through its network of over 600 pubs across the year.
At the time of writing the national portfolio of pubs and licenced had raised approximately £972,660 during the twelve month campaign, with staff at Stonegate’s support team contributing a further £96,813.
For more on The Swan visit www.craftunionpubs.com/swan-erdington
For more on Birmingham Hospice visit www.birminghamhospice.org.uk