WHEN Warrington pub landlord Mike Knowles began a collection for vital supplies to send to Ukraine, the response from big-hearted regulars and the local community was, quite literally, overwhelming.
Within hours of asking for goods to send to victims of the crisis, the Cat and Lion at Stretton was crammed with donations – including 10,000 nappies. And the goods brought along to the former 17th-century coaching inn just kept on coming.
Mike said: “Everyone was incredibly generous but we had to put out messages on social media saying that we just couldn`t receive any more – much as we would have loved to – since we literally ran out of space.
“The pub as well as the flat upstairs was just packed to the rafters. Yet even though I put out the message, when I came to work the next morning, even more had been left here. There were brand new duvets, clothing for adults and children, shower gel and other toiletries and so many nappies. It was just incredible. People just want to help.”
Mike, together with staff Jonathan James and Alex Wardenar, as well as his mum Janet worked for 16 hours to organise and package up donations. Then, using a brewery van, the goods were taken to a drop off point in Rochdale.
Mike added: “The customers and local community could not have responded better – especially in providing so much brand new stuff. They all went well above and beyond what we were hoping for and we couldn`t be more grateful.”
Family-run brewery Joseph Holt owns 127 pubs across the North West. Area manager Andrew Kershaw, who is the sixth generation of the family to work for the business and who drove the van to Rochdale, said the work at the Cat and Lion reflected how much their pubs wanted to help.
He said:“We are a family run business and our pubs are often at the heart of the community. There`s such a strong desire to reach out and help other families and communities during this humanitarian crisis. We`ll continue to do everything we can to play our part.”
