A brewery near Dame Vera Lynn’s home has made a donation in her memory from the proceeds of an ale named after her.
The Forces Sweetheart, who entertained troops with morale-boosting visits to the front line during the Second World War, died in June last year aged 103.
Bedlam Brewery, near to Dame Vera’s home in Ditchling, East Sussex, launched The Dame in her honour, a limited 4.2% ABV amber ale.
On Sat 20, it would have been Dame Vera Lynn's birthday, so a good day for @DanielHoskins4 to present a cheque for over £1,200 to her daughter Virginia covering the amount we're donating from sales of our very popular limited edition 'The Dame' amber ale 🍻#keepsmilingthrough pic.twitter.com/OlSObwqqdA
— Bedlam Brewery (@BedlamBrewery) March 22, 2021
The brewery said it did “extremely well” in its first three months of release and sold 4,608 pints in cask and 1,765 500ml bottles.
As a result, Bedlam donated £1,274 to The Dame Vera Lynn Charitable Trust. Sales director Danny Hoskins handed the cheque over to Dame Vera’s daughter Virginia Lewis-Jones and son-in-law Tom Jones, trustees of the charity.
Mrs Lewis-Jones said: “We are thrilled that the beer has been popular and sold so well – and are extremely grateful for Bedlam’s interest and involvement with the Dame Vera Lynn Charitable Trust. We send a great big thank you for your generous donation.”
Mr Hoskins said: “We were delighted with how well The Dame was received during these challenging times, as many of our customers took the opportunity to raise a glass in her memory and also to make a small contribution to causes dear to her heart.”
The Dame Vera Lynn Charitable Trust benefits those who served in the Armed Forces, children with disabilities and the NHS.