Tring Brewery Raises £6,000 for Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital

Tring Brewery have announced the results of their 2023 charity campaigning, raising over six thousand pounds for Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital.

Tiggywinkles was founded by Les Stocker in 1983 and is now the busiest wildlife hospital in the world. The charity’s round-the-clock care for British wildlife is made possible by regular fundraising drives, along with vital public donations.

Tring’s campaign for Tiggywinkles started in January 2023 and has seen activities including an exciting online raffle, collections at all four of the brewery’s membership nights and a sell-out charity beer festival (ToadFest) hosted in May.

The release of ‘Hibernation Ale’ marked the campaign’s launch – one of twelve ‘monthly specials’ that were brewed to champion Tiggywinkles. Beer names and imagery were drawn from the vivid realm of British wildlife, with ales such as ‘Dashing Duck’ and ‘Opulent Owl’ enjoyed by discerning drinkers in the home counties.

The brewery’s annual raffle accounted for close to a third of the charity pot, with £1800 raised in the space of just two months.

Food and drink items were donated by nearby artisans Yvette’s Chocolates, Chiltern Charcuterie and Puddingstone Distillery. Experiential prizes from The Alford Arms pub (Frithsden) and The Rex Cinema (Berkhamsted) were joined by vouchers from surrounding institutes like Watford Football Club and Whipsnade Zoo.

Tring contributed a veritable ‘cherry on the cake’ with their own raffle prize donations. Brewery contributions included membership to their Golden Toad Club, a unique Beer for a Year card (60 litres of draught ale to be taken in any increment) and a much-lauded ‘Brew Your Own Beer’ experience.

The winner of Tring’s big-ticket item, Brew Your Own Beer, will work with the brewery to design and produce their very own ale. Once the ale has fermented and maturated, the winner will be entitled to take-home containers of their brew, packaged for drinking with friends and family.

Jared Ward (communications & marketing) joined Adam (Visitor Centre Manager), Michael (Visitor Centre Staff), and Leah (Visitor Centre Staff) at the Tiggywinkles Visitor Centre, where a cheque for £6,037.13 was presented to the charity on Thursday 1 February.

Upon presenting the cheque, Jared commented: ‘It has been a pleasure and a privilege to champion Tiggywinkles, we are thrilled help with their amazing work.

‘The campaign was a fantastic experience which saw us pioneer new avenues to maximise funds. ToadFest was a highlight at our end; a first-of-its-kind event hosting 350 drinkers for open-tap beer, live music and street food, with all profits for charity.

‘We would like to thank Tiggywinkles for their collaboration and wish them every success in the future. We’ll be raising a glass to our local community, who have displayed unbridled goodwill time-and-time again. This accomplishment is truly theirs!’

Tiggywinkles ambassador Louise Brown said: ‘We were really pleased to be chosen by Tring Brewery as their charity of choice for 2023, they are such a highly regarded local brewery and found such inventive ways to raise funds for us. They even let us name some of their themed ales and hosted some fantastic events throughout the year. It was a pleasure to work with them and the funds raised will make a huge difference to us. Thank you, Tring Brewery for all your kind support and for aiding us in our mission to save British wildlife!’

Here’s preserving local wildlife: something we can all raise a glass to!

Funds raised for Tiggywinkles will be used to provide life-saving care and protection for animals in need.

For more information about how you can help Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital, please visit their website at sttiggywinkles.org.uk.