A PUB landlord has praised the “fantastic” support of his regulars and the local community after raising thousands of pounds for a life-saving charity this winter.

Jack Crook, who owns The Tufthorn Inn in Milkwall, handed over a cheque for more than £2000 to The Great Western Air Ambulance Charity last Thursday (February 3).

Regulars at the pub ‘stuck their hands in their pockets’ over Christmas to support the charity, which provides a vital Critical Care and air ambulance service across the South West and relies heavily on donations from the public.

Most of the money was raised through the Tufthorn’s annual Christmas raffle, which is made up of prizes donated by the local community.

This year, there were more than 130 prizes in the raffle, which helped the pub raise over £1,400.

Alongside that, the pub have a “big old brandy bottle” which they place on the bar to encourage customers to make donations.

They changed up the contents of the bottle - which came to nearly £800 - to add to the amount raised by the raffle, and Jack handed over a cheque for a grand total of £2230 to a representative of the charity last week.

Jack thanked Tufthorn regulars and the local community for their “continued support” in helping to raise the total amount.

“As always, the support from Tufthorn Inn regulars and the local community has been fantastic”, he said.

“The past two years have been difficult for everyone, however it’s brought our community closer together, which shows in the great amount raised for the Air Ambulance.

“Thanks to everyone that got involved and for your continued support.”

The pub also supports the air ambulance through its weekly ‘Bonus Ball’, with winnings being added to the bottle when one of the charity’s two numbers are drawn.

In recent years, the Tufthorn has also led fundraising efforts to purchase a defibrillator for Milkwall, having identified the need for “24 hour access” for local businesses and residents of the village.

They began raising money back in 2019, and, in spite of the pandemic, the total amount needed was finally achieved with support from Coleford Town Council in May last year.

The unit was installed by MP Electrical Contractors Ltd to the wall outside the Tufthorn, with staff at the pub wishing to thank “all involved” in making it happen.