This weekend the Beeswing Inn will host the annual Cowtonbury music festival, and all proceeds will be used to better the palliative care facilities both in the local hospital and community.
Beth Robinson, Publican and organiser of Cowtonbury initially only planned for the event to be a one-off. Following her mother’s cancer diagnosis in 2013, Beth noticed the facilities her local hospital would welcome an upgrade.
“I did not expect to be preparing for our 13th Cowtonbury when I had the idea all those years ago, said Beth. “It was clear to me the nurses and staff at the hospital were doing their best, but they needed a helping hand. My father always told me, ‘Don’t complain unless you can do something about it’ and that’s when I had a think about how I could do to help. We have gone on to raise, largely through Cowtonbury, £250,000 for charity.”
Beth’s association with the hospital sadly didn’t end there as both her father, Les and Maureen lost their future battles with cancer in 2018 and 2023 respectively. “During my father’s time in palliative care, there was nowhere for families to congregate with loved ones, partly due to the rules about how many visitors can be on the ward at one time. We were forced to use a disused ward that had become a walkthrough for staff and visitors, and it wasn’t the experience it should have been,” said Beth.
She continued: “The hospital has been really supportive of our ideas. It’s vital to have a space for families to sit and have the conversations they need to have during difficult times. Thanks in part to our fundraising, the hospital has family room and a secret garden which is beautiful and totally private.”
In addition to focussing on the hospital and motivated by her experience of her mother receiving palliative care at home above the pub, opposed to her father’s time spent on the ward, Beth has pushed for more resources for the palliative care community teams.
“My mum’s passing was beautiful and dignified and I believe it’s important that other families get the option to say goodbye in their own home,” said Beth.
The Beeswing Inn has been nominated by PubAid as a contender for Community Pub Hero Award 2026. The award aims to celebrate pubs that make an exceptional contribution to charities, good causes and fundraising in their communities.
Jon Harris, Operations Manager at Punch Pubs & Co, added: “As a company we are so proud of Beth and her team. To host a music event of this magnitude for 13 years is tremendous. The amount of money raised, and effort gone into securing a dignified experience for those battling cancer has been truly inspiring.
“Beth has received an industry nomination from PubAid for her charity work, an award she has won previously, in 2022, as well as Punch’s own National Publican of the Year Award in 2024.”
Cowtonbury will run across the August Bank Holiday weekend on Saturday 29 August and Sunday 30 August. There will be music for every taste and food and drink available from the pub. To maximise the charity donation, each act will forgo their stage fee. Tickets cost £10 for a weekend pass and kids go free.
More information about the music festival and the fundraising efforts can be found on the pub’s website and Facebook page.