At Paycare, we’re proud to be supporting a Wolverhampton pub known for its outstanding community spirit as it prepares to host its biggest charity challenge yet.
The Royal Oak in Chapel Ash, currently Pub Aid’s Community Pub of the Year, is celebrating its 120th anniversary with The Oak 120 — a full day of endurance challenges designed to bring local people together while raising funds for the Midland Freewheelers Blood Bikers. As part of our commitment to community wellbeing, we’re delighted to sponsor the event’s flagship netball tournament.
The Midland Freewheelers Blood Bikers provide a vital volunteer-run service, delivering urgent, out-of-hours transport of blood, breast milk and medical supplies to NHS hospitals across the region. Their work is relied upon every day, and with operating costs of around £1,500 per week, ongoing fundraising is essential to keep this life-saving service running.
Funds raised through The Oak 120 will go towards replacing one of the charity’s ageing vehicles, helping ensure volunteers can continue supporting communities across the West Midlands.
Taking place on Saturday 6th June, the event will feature a wide range of challenges including a darts marathon, motorbike ride-out, cycling challenge, charity trek, running relay, and our sponsored Paycare Cup netball tournament. All activities will finish back at The Royal Oak, where participants and supporters will come together for a community celebration with food, live music, and entertainment.
This marks the fourth large-scale challenge day organised by landlord Terry Cole and his team. Terry and his wife Emma have run The Royal Oak for nine years, with the pub having been in Emma’s family for over two decades. Their passion for bringing people together and supporting good causes aligns closely with our own values at Paycare.
Through our My Giving initiative, our sponsorship of the Paycare Cup will provide trophies, medals, and participation awards across the Ladies’, Men’s, Mixed, and Junior netball categories — helping to create a memorable and inclusive experience for everyone taking part.
Our CEO, Ant Burns, said:
“The Royal Oak is a brilliant example of community spirit in action. Terry and the team have created something really special with The Oak 120, and we’re proud to support this year’s netball tournament while helping shine a light on the incredible volunteers at Midland Freewheelers. I’m personally using part of my own My Giving allocation this year to support the event, as it’s a cause that resonates deeply with me and reflects the kind of community support My Giving was created to champion.”
We’re inspired by initiatives like The Oak 120, which demonstrate the power of communities coming together to make a real difference. We look forward to seeing the impact the event will have — both in funds raised and connections strengthened.
To find out more about The Oak 120, visit: https://www.theoakchapelash.com/the-oak-120
To support the Midland Freewheelers, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/page/thebig120relayday?utm_medium=FA&utm_source=CL
To learn more about our work and community initiatives, visit: www.paycare.org