Eastwood pub celebrates five-year milestone after raising £25,000 for charity

Dog and Parrot owners David and Kathryn Boam were presented with a canon bell by the Royal British Legion.

Crowds of customers attended the Dog and Parrot’s weekend birthday celebration event, which saw performances from a range of musicians throughout the day on Saturday, February 26.

The pub, on Nottingham Road, has established itself as a firm favourite for Eastwood drinkers since owners David and Kathryn Boam first opened doors back in 2017.

As well as being a popular real ale house, the Dog and Parrot is very much a community hub and does a huge amount of charitable fundraising – having raised more than £25,000 to date.

The Dog and Parrot on Nottingham Road, Eastwood.

The pub was also shortlisted in the ‘Community Hero’ category at this year’s Great British Pub Awards.

A lot of the money raised goes to armed forces charities working to support local war veterans.

At the birthday event, Jonathan Cooper, chairman of the Eastwood and District branch of the Royal British Legion, presented the pub with a certificate of appreciation and a special bell made from a canon shell to thank them for all of their help.

He said: “Dave and Kath do a lot for the community. There are a lot of veterans in Eastwood who pass through this pub and it’s where we get to know them and are able to help them if we can.

“This is our way of showing our appreciation for the pub’s hard work supporting the veteran community.

"I encourage everyone to take the time to go have a look, it is a beautiful use of a canon shell.”

Over the years, the pub has also raised funds for many other causes including the Eastwood Memory Cafe, Children’s Air Ambulance and Combat Stress.

Landlady Kathryn Boam addressed the crowd at the birthday event to thank customers.

She said: “We couldn’t do this last year because we were all in lockdown, so it means a lot.

“We want to say thank you to everyone who has supported us over the last five years – I can’t believe it’s been five years.

“We wouldn’t be here without you guys and I just want to say thank you to everyone again.”

Dog and Parrot staff are gearing up for their next fundraising venture this month, when they will be taking on the March into March to raise cash for veterans’ mental health charity Combat Stress.

You can donate to their fundraising page here.