HERE at the Royal Oak we have been busily preparing for summer.

As well as our fabulous food and drinks, we have also recently set ourselves the #royaloakcharitychallenge to raise £5,000 for the British Heart Foundation, a cause close to home for many of our staff and guests. We have planned a host of events over the coming months to help us reach our target – from craft fayres to beer festivals, raffles and quiz nights in between.

In fact, our craft beer festival is coming up, kicking off today and running right up until to Saturday, July 15, stocking a host of limited edition beers, as well as tap takeovers from some cracking brewers.

For me personally the charity is important because of the work they do in preventing heart disease, education and research. A number of the team have lost family to heart disease, and it is such a prevalent disease in the UK.

For myself personally I have lost grandparents to the disease and my auntie, who was taken from us far too soon. Next year marks the 10th anniversary since we as a family lost her so I wanted to do something to mark it and raise money for a great cause.

Next February I am taking part in a husky dog sledding challenge in Sweden in temperatures up to -40C and wilderness camping as part of our #royaloakcharitychallenge, which will be the final event in this charity drive, with us hopefully having smashed our fundraising goal!

In terms of The Royal Oak I have been here for nearly seven years. I have worked for the company for just over 20 years and been a manager for almost 18 years.

When I was looking for a move I travelled all over the country to look for the perfect site.

I literally fell in love with the site and the minute I walked in the door I stopped my search!

The old world charm and warmness of the Woodstock Road pub was wonderful, and I could instantly see what I could bring to the business.

I love our mix of traditional feel combined with modern food and drinks. I love the availability of craft breweries this site offers me, combined with the high volume of guest ales.

And I love the freedom and creativity that The Royal Oak brings.

We have recently launched our new menu, full of fresh seasonal flavours, with the best of British pub favourites and plenty of lighter options and smaller dishes for sharing, all of which have a perfect partner in our new craft beer range, featuring some classics and contemporaries from breweries near and far.

Our gardens are also ready and waiting for the summer months, with plenty of space to relax in our lovely walled garden, or to watch the world go by on Woodstock Road with the best of the evening sunshine!

So if you are having a family day out, walking the dog, or just passing by, we look forward to seeing you and letting you know about all the exciting activities coming up, and how we are getting on with our challenge!

Go to www.justgiving.com/michellesporleroyaloakoxford

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The Royal Oak

42-44 Woodstock Road

Oxford

OX2 6HT

01865 310187

theroyaloakoxford.co.uk