Wolverhampton pub regular is one of just 15 finalists in national Community Pub Hero Awards
A regular at a Wolverhampton pub who ran online quizzes during the Covid lockdowns and has helped to raise thousands of pounds for charity has been shortlisted for a national award.
The Community Pub Hero Awards is organised by PubAid and the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group and sponsored by UK-based drinks distributor Matthew Clark.
Patrick Tarpey, who is a regular at The Royal Oak in Compton Road and lives not too far away in Compton, is one of just 15 finalists in the competition.
Nationwide, 200 pubs entered the awards, including 70 nominated by their local MP.
Entries were judged by a panel of industry experts and the overall winners will be announced in March, with all finalists invited to a presentation at the House of Commons.
The competition first ran in 2018 and has been expanded this year to offer two categories for pubs – community support hero or charity fundraising hero, and the new community regular hero, for pub regulars who help their local’s charity fundraising or community support.
Patrick,who is in the running for the community regular hero award after being nominated by Royal Oak licensee Terry Cole, ran weekly online quiz nights during lockdown, bringing 30 households together and putting a smile on people’s faces during a lonely time.
As well as continuing to run regular charity quizzes, the retired teacher has helped the pub hit mileage targets in its Oak to Oak virtual charity walk, as well as other fundraising walks, often putting in the distance in his breaks from work.
Last year he completed a Normandy beaches walk and raised £4,000 for Combat Stress.
Patrick, 61, said: "I was very surprised to make the shortlist, especially to find out I was going to the House of Commons. It was a bolt out of the blue.
"I've enjoyed raising the money for the causes but it has also brought people in the pub together."
Mr Cole said Patrick had been coming to the pub for at least a decade.
He said: "Patrick was a very quiet man to start with. He didn't really know anyone.
"During lockdown he started doing pub quizzes online. People looked forward to them on a Sunday evening. "He became a very popular character and he's now become our quizmaster inside the pub.
"He's also helped us with charity fundraising. "He's a very down to earth quiet man but when you get to know him he's a very intelligent and caring person."
Mr Cole said The Royal Oak had also been given the title of community pub of the year by Marston's in 2022.
PubAid co-founder Des O’Flanagan said: “Our heartfelt congratulations go to Patrick.
"Choosing the finalists from a very strong set of entries was a real challenge and those pubs who have reached the shortlist should be very proud of their achievement.
“Judges were hugely impressed by the stories from so many pubs, who have raised astonishing sums for charities, or provided incredible support for local people. The awards demonstrate, once again, that pubs are a force for good in their communities.”
John Steele, trade marketing director for Matthew Clark added: “We were delighted to support this competition again and pleased to see an increase in the number of entries over last year.
"It is wonderful to hear about the great work done by licensees and their teams and we’re happy to be giving them well-deserved recognition.”
The pub falls within the constituency of Wolverhampton South West MP Stuart Anderson, who said: “I’m delighted to see that The Royal Oak has reached the finals of this national competition.
"They do such fantastic work and are a real hub of support for the community.”
