A PUB owner has raised a glass to helping raise more than £5,000 for charity in the last month.

Sophie Cooke, owner of The Rising Sun in Woolaston, has been hosting and taking part in fundraising activities for her two chosen charities with the help of the local community.

To raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support, Sophie and four friends undertook the 26-mile ‘Wye Valley Mighty Hike 2019’ .

She also hosted a charity bingo night at The Rising Sun as well as a coffee morning for Macmillan, raising a bumper £3,100 for the charity.

She also raised cash for the Great Western Air Ambulance, hosting an annual harvest auction to which many donations of produce were made by local people.

The biggest sale of the night was a harvest loaf which fetched a whopping £300. Sophie described the evening as “fantastic” after raising £2,300 for the charity.

She said: “A huge thank you goes to our very talented auctioneer Robert Cooke for doing such a great job auctioning off all of the produce.

“The hike was also great, and I can’t wait to sign up for the next one!”

Sophie says she has been raising money for charities from a young age, including the British Heart Foundation and the Pied Piper Appeal.

“Once you start raising money for worthy charities it’s like a bug,” she said.

“I just have to keep doing it year-in, year-out, but raise that little bit extra each year.

“Since having the pub, it was something I always wanted to do and that was to support a few different charities.” 

Sophie described the two charities as worthy causes that are “close to many people’s hearts”.

Macmillan provides emotional, physical and financial support to those suffering with cancer, from diagnosis through to treatment and beyond.

The Great Western Air Ambulance Charity provides a critical care and air ambulance service across Gloucestershire, Bristol, Bath and North Somerset.

Sophie plans to continue her fundraising efforts in the future, and will be hosting a Christmas coffee morning at the pub to raise money for a defibrillator for the village, which will be based at The Rising Sun.