Home Counties: Cock Inn

Gamlingay, Bedfordshire There are a number of ways Roger and Tina Collins measure the part that the Cock Inn plays in the local community. First, there is fundraising. Almost £6,500 has been raised over the past 15 months. In the 10 years that the couple have been at the Greene King tenanted pub, the annual amount has averaged about £5,000. Even a non-fundraising event held over the bank holiday last August, which was planned as a "thank you" to customers, resulted in more than £900 being donated to the pub's chosen charity ­ a children's hospice. Another measure is the noticeable increase in trade that has come from customers either coming just for something to eat or drink, or to participate in the many events staged in the pub. An increase in turnover approaching 20% has been recorded over the previous year's total and the barrelage has more than doubled during the Collins' time at the 15th-century pub. Then, there is the Cock's role as a meeting place for groups as diverse as bell-ringers, amateur dramatic society, and the cricket team that is sponsored by the pub. Additionally, there is the entertainment. This varies from the more traditional to the bizarre. Family fun days; morris dancing; crib and quiz nights; and music evenings being the more traditional. The bizarre being a "Farmers Weekend" that included: regulars acting out a script from The Archers radio show; a sheep dog trial where humans replaced the sheep; and a pheasant plucking competition where contestants had to sing with feathers in their mouths while denuding an imitation bird. All these activities, as well as fundraising ideas, stem from meetings held over a pint, or two, on Sunday afternoons. A measure of the pair's success in creating a community spirit among the 4,500 residents of Gamlingay is that a question often asked by locals is "where's Sadie?". Sadie is a log with a smiling face painted on it, which was originally handed out as a booby prize in a raffle. What started as a bit of fun when a child of one of the regulars took Sadie for a day out in Great Yarmouth has snowballed beyond belief. Roger explains that "she" has been to the red-light district of Amsterdam, spent time in America with the Army and been on a tour with a US rock band. When the Morning Advertiser called in at the Cock, Sadie was off sunning herself in Antigua.