RED Mist Leisure, Surrey and Hampshire’s award-winning, independently-run pub company, is toasting employees and customers for helping to break yet another new charity record – raising nearly £30,500 in 2017 for national and local charities.

Up 10 per cent on its previous year’s charity high, the pub group has now laid down the gauntlet to beat this figure for 2018 with further ambitious charity fundraising plans.

Charities to benefit have included Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity, Cherry Trees Respite Care Home, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice Care, Challengers, and Help for Heroes.

Every year, Red Mist Leisure challenges itself to undertake a sport fundraising event which in the past has included running a half-marathon, a 26-mile ramble across the Surrey Hills and, earlier this year, a five-month rigorous training schedule culminated in a team of 14 Red Mist Leisure staff, suppliers, customers and friends climbing three of the highest mountain peaks in England, Scotland and Wales as part of the Three Peaks Challenge.

This alone raised £14,000 for two of the brilliant local charities it supports – Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance and Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity.

Just two months earlier, The Duke Of Cambridge pub in Tilford hosted its ninth annual CherryFest charity music festival and family day out with all money raised on entry to the festival, face painting, raffle and sales of its specially brewed CherryFest Ale being donated to Cherry Trees, a home-from-home short break and respite care for children and young people aged nought to 19 with a range of disabilities, including learning, physical and sensory impairments.

Set in the peaceful village of East Clandon, near Guildford, where Red Mist Leisure has another pub, The Queen’s Head, Cherry Trees has become a lifeline for many families, children and young people who are regularly cared for there, whether it be after school for a few hours, a weekend or even a couple of weeks’ stay.

Further donations have come from the group’s own beer, Red Mist Ale, launched nearly four years ago years ago to celebrate its 10th anniversary which donates 20p from every pint sold as well as 50p from every children’s meal sold at two of its pubs, The Cock Inn in Headley and The Exchequer in Crookham.

Mark Robson, managing director of Red Mist Leisure, said: “Year on year, we continue to be blown away by people’s support and generosity and the donations we can help to raise means everything to the charities that we support.

“Charity events are not only great and important team builders but also hold a strong resonance with Red Mist Leisure’s ethos of supporting the community.

“We are thrilled we completely overhit this year’s already ambitious charity target and we are already in the throes of finalising what 2018’s target and ‘big’ charity sporting event might be, so watch this space.”