Virtual pub crawl inspires £11,000 boost for Hartlepool hospice

An online fundraising phenomenon from the first lockdown has raised even more money for Hartlepool’s Alice House Hospice – after launching as a live event.
By Tom Patterson
Published 8th Mar 2022, 12:23 BST
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The #VirtualPubCrawl was started over the 2020 Easter Bank Holiday by Hartlepool man Rob Dignen who – while stuck in his home – started to post links to songs on Twitter using the hashtag, which soon started trending.

The #VirtualPubCrawl became a fortnightly online get together and, as the online community grew, it turned to raising money for charity and nominated Alice House Hospice as the main beneficiary.

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The initial plan was to raise £500 to offset some of the financial losses incurred from the cancellation of the hospice’s annual beer festival – with Rob hosting a raffle and quiz and participants making donations online.

Rob Dignen, second left, with other fundraisers at the live event.Rob Dignen, second left, with other fundraisers at the live event.
Rob Dignen, second left, with other fundraisers at the live event.

Over the 12 events during 2020, the #VPC raised a staggering £8,500.

Rob said: “It’s unbelievable. Who knew something so silly would go this far? People's generosity has been amazing and I’m really pleased that we have covered the money that Alice House would have missed out on from the cancelled beer festival.”

A live #VPC event was planned and eventually took place at a venue in Manchester last month.

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The event was a sell-out and attracted #VPC regulars from all over the country.

Greg Hildreth of Alice House Hospice.Greg Hildreth of Alice House Hospice.
Greg Hildreth of Alice House Hospice.

That generated a further £2,100 for Alice House - taking the #VPC running total to around £11,000 with more events planned.

Greg Hildreth, communications senior manager at Alice House said, “The success of the Virtual Pub Crawl and the community it has built during really hard times has been genuinely amazing and uplifting.

"The fact that this was used to support a local charity during its most difficult and uncertain period is testament to Rob and all those who got involved.”

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He added: “This money has made a very real difference to the lives of hospice patients and their families and, on behalf of everyone here at the hospice, I would like to send our thanks and congratulations on their tremendous contribution.”

“It’s also great to hear that there are plans for future events and I would like to wish everyone all the best and every success in the future.”

Related topics:HartlepoolTwitterManchester