A PUB has pledged support for a hospice that cares for terminally ill children.

The Cherry Tree in Steventon has donated a £500 cheque to Helen & Douglas House, after winning the cash from Wadworth brewery.

Pub manager Jason Kibble said he wanted to support the Oxford hospice after it cared for one of his schoolfriends, who had muscular dystrophy and used its respite services.

He said: “I know first-hand the great work they do in caring for children and young people.”

Former charity worker Mr Kibble also used to run after-school play schemes and youth clubs in Oxfordshire.

He added: “They were for children with life-limiting conditions and learning disabilities so I used to work closely with Helen & Douglas.”

The hospice is based in Magdalen Road in East Oxford and offers specialist care for children with life-shortening illnesses.

A staff member popped into the pub near Abingdon last week to receive the £500, which was donated by Wadworth.

The brewery asked its pubs to nominate a charity for it to chose from, and decided to trump The Cherry Tree’s cause.

Customers at the village pub recently helped to raise £1,500 for another Oxford hospice, Sobell House, in tribute to former assistant pub manager Steve Robinson who died in November.