Kind donations help newly-reopened Telford pub raise funds for lifesaving machine

The Bridge Inn on Wombridge Road is part of Proper Pubs, the community wet-led operator division of Admiral Taverns.

Jayne and Joe Bushell, who have more than 15 years’ experience working in the hospitality industry, took over the running of the pub and made buying a new defibrillator one of their early targets.

They have achieved their goal in a matter of months and have now set their sights on further community fundraisers.

Joe said: "We did a lot of fundraising, such as raffles and setting up a GoFundMe page and we think it's quite an achievement to have done this so quickly.

"We also received some very kind donations and Proper Pubs also got some funding to finish off efforts so we could install it.

"We are very much a community pub and so this was an ideal way to give something back.

"We are now planning to raise funds for a bleed control kit.

"We have big plans to raise a lot more money to go towards local hospitals and charities in the local area, through open days, and also want to do activities such as delivering selection boxes at Christmas and much more."

In September, Steph Briggs, regional business development manager for Proper Pubs, said community work was very much the focus, supporting people through an array of events and charity fundraising initiatives, from Easter egg collections to local food bank donations and charity walks.

She added: “We want to be a pub for all. All of our pubs have been set a challenge to raise £1,500 to have a defibrillator installed on their buildings.

"We have 170 pubs and 70 per cent of them have raised that money already, through the community, and defibrillators have been used in our pubs, across the country, 15 times in the last six months, to save someone’s life. That’s something we are very proud of.”