This time tomorrow evening, a team from McChuills bar will be in London, waiting to learn if they have been chosen as the winners of a Community Pub Hero award for 2024.
Earning a place on the shortlist was in itself no mean feat, with over 1000 nominations reportedly submitted across six categories of the annual PubAid event.
While owner Nick Stewart has already said the nod ‘means the world to them’, it’s been business as usual at one of Glasgow’s most beloved bar and music venues in the run-up to the ceremony.
He said: “To be honest, we’ve been so busy at the pub this weekend that I’ve not really stopped to think about the fact that we’re going down to London tomorrow.
“Although we don’t do the things we do for praise or awards, we’re delighted to have made the shortlist.
“If the gods are smiling on us, maybe we’ll even get a win.”
The Community Pub Hero Awards were established to celebrate businesses across the UK which go above and beyond to demonstrate the vital role that pubs can play ‘as the beating heart of their local communities’.
Showing a commitment to doing just that, last December McChuills opened its doors on Christmas Day for the second year running as they invited the vulnerable, homeless or lonely members of the local community to join them for a hot meal in partnership with Homeless Project Scotland.
READ MORE: Glasgow bar to host free Christmas meals for homeless and vulnerable
Stewart said: “We first got involved with Homeless Project Scotland during lockdown when we used our kitchen to provide some food for them.
“At the time, we were actually in danger of going out of business but did what we could to support them and the amazing work they were doing.
“They asked if we would be interested in opening on Christmas Day, serving meals and non-alcoholic drinks.
“It’s heartbreaking to see young families without enough money, but both years’ it’s been a great day with presents provided and a really happy atmosphere.”
READ MORE: Scotland’s busiest soup kitchen stretched to limit amid ‘horrendous’ rise in users
Through his work with Homeless Project Scotland, Stewart is said to have heard some ‘horrendous stories’ of hardships facing the people of Glasgow as a result of the cost of living crisis, with families forced to choose between heating their homes or eating becoming all too common.
It’s here that venues like McChuills and the regulars who share their values truly make all the difference.
He said: “A couple of years ago, I was involved in organising a group of friends and people who drank at the pub walking the West Highland Way for Homeless Project Scotland.
“We ended up raising over £70,000 to go towards a food truck which is now used in the city centre and can be driven wherever it is needed.
“We can see the problems with homelessness and poverty on the streets, but thankfully we’re not alone and there are plenty of private businesses in Glasgow who are willing to step in and try to alleviate the problem, even if it’s just a little.”
Outside of their charity endeavours, McChuills reputation as an inclusive creative hub for the city’s up-and-coming musical talent further illustrates how a venue can evolve to become much more than the sum of its parts.
Each week with their hugely popular ‘Dirty Laundry' Thursdays, the High Street bar gives performers the rare opportunity to keep 100% of their ticket sales while benefiting from sound tech, lighting and door staff services.
Stewart said: “Dirty Laundry has been very successful and it's fantastic to see some of the bands now becoming too big for us and going on to play other venues.
“There’s a good mix of people including students or hospitality staff who have weeknights off who show the potential for events like this.
“I really do feel that the two strongest things Glasgow has going for it are our friendliness and our music scene.
“It’s so important, and with parts of the city centre declining in recent years I really feel more music venues could help the place to recover.”
Once tomorrow’s award announcements are done and dusted, the McChuills team will waste no time in getting back to work, be it serving customers or developing plans for community programmes to offer local university students the chance to learn more about DJing and electronic music.
Speaking once more of his gratitude and hopes for the future: Stewart said: “We’re a family-run business which is also going through a tough time with the costs of gas, electricity and stock going up astronomically.
“It’s been difficult to keep going at times but we’ve been helped so, so much by people.
“My dad owned a venue and I work as a DJ and promoter outside of the bar, so I’ve been involved in music for as long as I can remember and can see that there’s a complete buzz around the place right now.
“We never expect to be recognised for our work, but hopefully reaching the finals of the Community Pub Awards will help to raise our profile and allow us to do more to help others.
“Whether that’s through community initiatives or our events, the driving force of the venue has always been a love for music, and it’s a really exciting time for us.”
McChuills is located at 80 High Street in Glasgow.
For further updates on events, find their website here.
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