The Carriers Arms in Stockton, a family run village pub, is teaming up with the local church on December 22 to host a carolling evening that is a little bit different. In addition to the traditional mulled wine and mince pies local residents will be helping to raise money for the Wylye Valley Disabled Children’s Charity [URL LINK:  www.wylyecamp.org], a fantastic organisation that provides holidays, camps and days out for disabled, ill or disadvantaged young people from across Wiltshire.

Karen and David, the pub’s proprietors, know as well as any how important charities like the Wylye Valley Disabled Children’s Charity can be, having over five decades of experience as teachers between them. Karen is especially passionate on the subject, saying: “My husband and I were both teachers before our venture into hospitality. I spent 12 years teaching at an SEN school in west Wales and one of the highlights of my working week was venturing out into the Pembrokeshire countryside with a handful of students to visit our local riding school, which was funded by a charity very much like the one we are now supporting.

“One of the many fantastic things about the villages throughout the Wylye valley is the real sense of community they have retained and that is really something we have tried to emphasise at both our pubs. We routinely play host to a vast array of folk from different walks of life, including the local morris dancers, book club, badminton teams, bell ringers, village hall committee and karate clubs to name a few. We think that, especially in small communities, it is important that everybody feels welcome at their local and we hope that this year’s carolling can bring everyone together to spread festive cheer and support a fantastic cause!”