A year of fundraising with the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance has ended with cheers at Nottingham’s Magpie Brewery.

Our charity of the year for 2015 has benefitted from 6p from the sale of every pint of Magpie’s special night flyer golden ale.

The fundraising brew was a collaboration by trentbarton and the brewery to support the Air Ambulance whilst encouraging pub goers to ‘drink & ride’ their way home on trentbarton’s many nightbus services.

More than 12,000 pints of night flyer were downed during the year at Magpie’s Crafty Crow and Doctor’s Orders pubs – raising £700 for the charity.

When added to the money generated by a year’s fundraising – including a naked calendar, a mud race challenge, sales of mince pies and bacon butties – the Air Ambulance has received almost £6,000.

The charity’s community fundraiser Karen Carter raised a glass to the success at Magpie with the brewery’s Nick Keith and trentbarton managing director Jeff Counsell.

Karen said: “Three cheers to Magpie and trentbarton, plus all the beer lovers who drank night flyer. We’ve loved being trentbarton’s charity of the year.

trentbarton has been absolutely brilliant, and not just with fundraising, important though that is. They have supplied us with free shuttle buses, sold bacon butties and provided volunteers for events such as our big annual Funday at Wollaton Park.

We’ve had a great rapport with the drivers, staff and managers and we will miss having them ‘on board’. They have included us in everything and helped raise awareness of the invaluable work that we do at the Air Ambulance.”

Jeff said: “It’s been a joy to support the Air Ambulance. And to work with Magpie on crafting a quality ale with a serious message about road safety.”

Nick said: “As a responsible brewer it has been great to be a part of a campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of drink driving and encourage more people to use public transport when they have been drinking.

What is also great is that we have been able to raise a significant amount of money for the air ambulance, a great cause. We hope in future more people will think about the consequences of drink driving and as a result less people will have the need to use this amazing charity.”