Ilfracombe’s George and Dragon pub in the final of Community Pub Hero Awards

Ilfracombe’s oldest pub The George and Dragon has been shortlisted for the Community Pub Hero Awards for being a focal point for its neighbourhood and raising thousands for charity.

The 14th century Fore Street pub run by landlord Jon Quinn is one of just 15 pubs across the country to make it into the finals of the awards, which are organised by PubAid and The All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group, sponsored by Matthew Clark.

It is well known in Ilfracombe for its fundraising events, especially the popular weekly pub quiz, compiled by Jon and it has helped raise more than £170,000 over the years for charities and local good causes.

The George was nominated for the award by North Devon MP Selaine Saxby, who said she was delighted to see it shortlisted in recognition of the fantastic work Jon and his team do.

She added: “They are a real hub of support for the community and have provided continued support to many groups and charities in Ilfracombe for many years.”

Jon runs the pub with his wife Linda, who also works as a nurse and the couple will have been there for 19 years this June.

His sister had been running the pub and when she wanted to move on, he bought it from her and moved to Ilfracombe from his home town of Stockport.

Jon said they were thrilled to be in the Community Pub Hero finals, picked from among 200 entries: “We received the email last week while we were on holiday in Gran Canaria, and it made coming back to the grey of England a lot more bearable!

“We’ve worked hard to put the George and Dragon at the heart of the Ilfracombe community, so if anyone wants to raise funds for a local cause, they come to us and we’ll try to put on a quiz for them. At one point before lockdown, we had charities booked in for quizzes every week for 17 months!

“But without the support and generosity of our local residents, we wouldn’t be able to raise money – so this place in the finals is as much for them as for us.”

Jon compiles all the quizzes himself and makes them as interactive and as fun as possible, including with a tasting round that asks people to identify crisp flavours or even different strengths of cheddar cheese!

He said: “We think every pub needs a quiz – it’s a great way of giving customers a fun evening and raising money for a worthy cause at the same time.

“Lockdown was hard for us, as it was for everyone in hospitality, and for our customers too. We did run the quiz during lockdown, in response to requests from customers, and we ended up raising £7,000 for charity!

“Being fully open again is great for everyone, and we’ve got a full programme of fundraising events up and running again.”

Quizzes are held at the George and Dragon every Tuesday at 8.30pm, with all welcome, plus there is usually music on Wednesday evenings and three Race Nights are coming up too.

On Sunday, May 7 there will be a street party mark the King’s Coronation, with a free buffet, music and entertainment.