Stockton micro-pub The Golden Smog has raised more than £21,000 for the Great North Air Ambulance (GNAAS) from a charity ale event held last year.
Since 2015, pubgoers have taken part in the pALEgrimage, which is a yearly event, where they travel far and wide to collect a cask or pin of ale kindly donated from different breweries and get it back to The Golden Smog.
The catch is it cannot be transported using a motorised vehicle.
Over the years the ‘pALEgrims’ have walked, ran and cycled to deliver the ale, with some of them opting for more unusual modes of transport including paddleboarding across the River Tees and riding a Penny Farthing, all helping to raise more than £98,000 over the years for GNAAS.
The furthest someone has travelled is from the Isle of Man, and they even cycled the distance of the ferry crossing while on the Island to make up for travelling by boat.
Once all the donated beer has arrived at its final destination, a mini ale festival is held at The Golden Smog, and the funds raised are often match funded by the pALEgrims’ employers.
Talking about how it all started, John Christie, the owner of the Golden Smog, said: “There was a group of regulars that call themselves The Ale Team, who did a sponsored walk from Masham, in North Yorkshire to the Masham pub.
“One year they decided to finish their walk at The Smog, and I suggested if we could get a brewery to donate a small barrel of ale and carry it back with them then we could sell it to raise more funds for charity.
“We ended up getting the whole pub involved and it’s just grew and grew, and now here we are.”
One of the pub’s regulars Brian Loughran took part in the first event and subsequently needed the help of GNAAS shortly afterwards when he was knocked off his scooter.
John said: “Brian was a direct beneficiary and the following year he took part in the event again, which he wouldn’t have been able to do if the air ambulance hadn’t been there for him. This cemented the importance of supporting GNAAS.
“Also, most breweries will have drivers going out to remote locations and their drivers at any point could need an air ambulance and breweries are always happy to support – with some of them even taking part as pALEgrims.”
Recently a group of regulars who took part in the 2024 pALEgrimage visited GNAAS’ base to present them with a cheque for the funds raised from August’s event, which was an incredible £21,212.12.
One of the regulars, Mike Conlon, said: “Visiting GNAAS and getting an insight into what’s involved with the operation has been an eyeopener and you realise how worthwhile it is.
“I’ve done the pALEgrimage by bike, and the physical aspect of it gives a real sense of achievement compared to just putting some money in a box.
“As a participant and customer of the pub there’s a great community feel which John generates, but I’ve made special friendships with others who actively participate in the event, because we all encourage each other.
“Nobody doubts the role that GNAAS plays in our lives, as any one of us could benefit from them at any time, whether that’s by enjoying outdoor activities or playing a game of football or even out shopping and suffering a cardiac arrest. GNAAS is a fantastic service and people need to support it.”
The next pALEgrimage will be taking place over August Bank Holiday Weekend.
If you’d like to get involved, updates on the event will be posted on The Golden Smog’s Facebook page.
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