Vicar pulls pints of Hell at his local pub to pay for upkeep of parish church

26 October 2023 , 15:24

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Gary Ward at the bar (Image: Anita Maric / SWNS)

A beer-loving vicar pulls pints of Hell at his local pub to help pay for repairs to his

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Rev Gary Ward sports his dog collar behind the bar and sups the German pale ale with regulars after every shift. He splits his time between running All Saints Church and pulling pints at The Crown Inn. Gary, 56, works at his local two nights a week and gives his wages to the church to pay for new heating and lighting.

New visitors to the pub in Claverley, Shrops, are often stunned to see Gary serving in his dog collar. The former barman volunteered to help after another staff member handed in their notice. Dad-of-two Gary said: “I’d done some bar work as most of us have some years ago before I was ordained.

“I don’t get paid for working in the pub and I don’t want to, it’s part of my ministry. The money goes straight into the church’s coffers. I’m doing it because it’s part of what I’m doing. It’s usually a couple of evenings for an hour or two, or if it gets busy. All I do is stand behind the bar.

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Rev Ward in more familiar surroundings (Anita Maric / SWNS)

"I meet a lot of people who wouldn’t normally cross the church threshold. After a while chatting with people it moves onto a deeper conversation. We haven’t gained loads of extra people to the church, but where it has helped is weddings and christenings. It’s making connections.”

Gary’s favourite tipple is the German lager Hell, a 4.5% pale ale, much to the amusement of locals. “Hell is my favourite lager,” he said. “It’s an absolutely fantastic drink. I should be on commission for the amount of Hell I sell. People think it’s highly amusing because the vicar drinks Hell. It certainly breaks the ice.”

Gary was a midwife and a prison health worker who even treated serial killer Fred West. Gary is now battling Parkinson’s disease but is still serving. “Working in the pub helps people see vicars are just normal,” he said. Crown Inn landlord Ken Lavender said: “Gary’s brilliant behind the bar."

Martin Fricker