The Blue Ball Worrall: Sheffield pub makes final of Community Pub Hero Awards

From meat raffles to auctions, the Blue Ball holds so many fantastic events for the local community to raise money for those who need it most. The Sheffield pub is one of just 15 from across the country to reach the finals of the Community Pub Hero Awards, organised by PubAid and the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group.

Nationwide, 200 pubs entered the Community Pub Hero 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.

Emma Shepherd, licensee at the Blue Ball, said: “Our belief has always been that this pub is part of the community and we need to be actively involved in supporting the community. It’s not just about what we do but also signposting what other people do.

“We’ve got a great team of staff and a great community so it’s all a massive team effort. Everyone gets involved and plays their part in bringing it over the line. Everyone comes up with their own fundraising idea. One of my members of staff is from Turkey so she asked if we could do a cake bake to raise money for the Turkey earthquake appeal.”

Over the past year, the £10,000 has been raised through many events including an art auction to raise money for Jude, a little boy who was diagnosed with high risk neuroblastoma, an aggressive cancer. The pub has also raised £440 for Ukraine Red Cross, more than £1000 for Worral Environmental Group, £100 for prostate cancer and more. It raised £5,500 in less than two weeks to install a defibrillator for the local community.

“If an issue is close to a member of our community’s heart, we will see what we can do to help,” said Emma. “Whether that’s simply putting a bucket on the bar or helping them organise an event at the pub, we will do it. The local community are amazing. Just for the auction for Jude, so many local businesses and pubs provided items to auction and people themselves bid so much money. Everyone gets involved and feels as passionately as we do about supporting each other.”

Talking about her Pub Hero nomination, Emma said it’s a “testament to how hard the staff and community all work together.”

PubAid co-founder Des O’Flanagan said: “Our heartfelt congratulations go to The Blue Ball Inn. 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.”

Dale Huntington, business development manager at Admiral Taverns, said: “Emma is a real community hero - everything she does is to support the community and she always goes above and beyond. A huge congratulations to Emma, Carl and the team on being shortlisted in PubAid’s Community Pub Hero Awards - a true testament to her fantastic fundraising for local charities and her work in ensuring the pub sits at the heart of the community.”

The Blue Ball is asking the community to decide what it should fundraise for next through its auction. To find out more about the pub, visit: https://www.facebook.com/blueballworrall/