Red Lion pub winner of Basingstoke Gazette pub of the year

Punters at the 18th Century Red Lion Pub gathered to celebrate the news with a special gift presentation for one regular. Overton resident Richard McNeil, 69, whose cancer forced him to stop driving, was presented with a mobility scooter from DF Mobility in Andover.

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The presentation was made on Friday, June 30 after just one day of fundraising in the pub plus a contribution from the pub’s ‘Red Lion Foundation’ fund.

The Red Lion Foundation is a pot of money raised from pub games and activities like quizzes and raffles which is used to help support local residents who are in need of a little extra help.

Landlords David and Victoria Harber said: “Our pub is more than just a place to drink. This is a village community centre, it’s a therapy suite and a safe place to meet new friends.

Overton resident Richard McNeil, 69, whose cancer has forced him to stop driving, was presented with a mobility scooter from DF Mobility in Andover (Image: Red Lion, Overton)

“When we took over last year, we were overwhelmed by the support we were given by the village and want to thank everyone who voted for us. To win this award after just one year is an astonishing accolade”.

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The Red Lion on the High Street serves food four days a week and hosts live music events on Fridays. Their weekly untraditional meat draw called 'Meats and Beats' follows their hugely popular traditional British Sunday Lunch. Locally sourced prizes for their raffles have recently seen just over £7,000 going back into the local economy.

Customer Sean Gallagher who helped organise the scooter says, “David and Victoria are always trying to do new things to encourage custom, but do things that support the village as well. Today’s presentation to Richard was just one example of how much they care for their community and customers”.