OVER six years a village pub has raised nearly £20,000 for charity, with £4,000 raised during the Covid-19 outbreak for Stars Appeal.

Despite being closed to diners, The Silver Plough in Pitton kept busy during lockdown by offering a takeaway service, during which £3,700 was raised for Salisbury District Hospital's charity.

A further £300 was raised through pub quizzes.

This marked The Silver Plough Charitable Trust raising £18,400 for charities, of which a total of £8,300 had been awarded to Stars Appeal.

Brian Cudby, treasurer of the trust, said it was "wonderful" to raise such a sum over six years, adding: "It feels so good to have given this support, all to local charities.

"We wanted to do our bit and give some support during the Covid-19 pandemic, and it seems the obvious choice was to give this recent money to Stars Appeal."

As previously reported, other charities benefitting from the pub's fundraising effort include Wiltshire Air Ambulance and Pitton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School.

The cheque was presented to Stars Appeal on Thursday, and head of fundraising Dave Cates said the work of the trust was "incredible".

He added: "The money you raise will continue our ongoing projects. We spend £1million every year to make life better for local people."

Speaking to the trust, Dave explained that previous community donations had gone towards a dedicated breast unit, treating children in an environment tailored to them, parent accommodation, elderly support and more.

During the Covid-19 pandemic money has also been used to provide further support to hospital staff, including care packages and training sessions.

"Everything you do for us and all of these charities is amazing, and we are so grateful," Dave added.

Following the pub's reopening and the success of the takeaway service during lockdown, the scheme will continue indefinitely.

Landlord Jeni Noordijk added: "This service brought in customers we never had before and has become an important part of the business. [During the pandemic] it was really helpful to the village."