Northern Ireland pub crowned fundraising hero after donating around £16,000 this year
Patsy’s Bar recognised for turning everything from meat draws and darts to marathons and skydives into support for its community
A Coleraine pub whose customers have helped donate around £16,000 to good causes so far this year has been crowned Community Fundraising Hero – Northern Ireland.
Patsy’s Bar on Bushmills Road received the award at the PubAid Community Pub Hero Awards at the House of Commons last night (8 September).
Fundraising at the pub takes many forms. Its weekly meat draw alone generates around £5,000 a year, while sponsored walks, fancy dress days, pool and darts competitions, race nights, raffles, golf days, charity football matches, marathons and even skydives have all been used to raise funds.
The money and support benefited organisations including the RNLI and autism, cancer and heart charities, alongside local schools, youth and adult sports teams, community groups and individuals needing help with costs such as travelling to hospital appointments.
The pub’s award entry particularly credits generations of customers for driving the fundraising and creating a community where regulars look out for older and vulnerable neighbours as well as raising money for others.
Colin David McAfee, from Patsy’s Bar, said: “Patsys Bar Coleraine are delighted to receive such a prestigious award, we are a small bar in a medium sized town with a massive heart and our staff and customers are the heartbeat of this community driven local pub. We will always strive to support everyone and everything that we possibly can through many different fundraising activities and events and guarantee that any strangers who enter will leave as friends "
Des O’Flanagan, Co-Founder of PubAid, said: “Patsy’s Bar is a brilliant example of just how important pubs are to the communities they serve. What they have achieved in Coleraine, from turning everything from weekly draws and darts to sponsored walks and skydives into support for local people and causes, shows that a great pub is about so much more than food and drink; it is a place that brings people together, supports those who need it and makes a real difference locally. “We’re delighted to recognise Patsy’s Bar as a Community Pub Hero and celebrate the incredible contribution they continue to make to Coleraine. Their story is exactly what these awards are all about, shining a light on the people and pubs that sit at the heart of communities across the UK.”
The pub was one of 13 category winners recognised across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, celebrating the contribution pubs make through community support, fundraising, grassroots sport and sustainability.
The 2026 awards attracted hundreds of entries from across the UK and a record number of nominations from MPs, highlighting growing recognition in Parliament of the role pubs play within their constituencies.
The evening also saw Tonia Antoniazzi MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group, presented with a special award recognising her tireless work championing pubs and her support for PubAid, the Beer Group and the wider industry. It is the first time PubAid has presented the special award.