Welsh rugby stars Josh Navidi and Tom Shanklin, joined the team at The Royal Oak in Saundersfoot for a Macmillan Coffee Morning on Monday, raising an incredible £8,455 for Macmillan Cancer Support in the process!

The sports stars supported the effort and served coffee and cakes to over 140 people.

Tom, who amassed 70 caps for Wales and scored 20 tries, said he was delighted to attend the coffee morning and help raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Charity.

“I was thrilled to return to my roots and support The Royal Oak with their fundraiser for Macmillan. It was a great morning, with a tremendous turnout and I’m pleased to have helped raise funds for such a worthy cause,” he said.

British and Irish Lions flanker Josh Navidi who is set to miss the Six Nations for Wales after having shoulder surgery earlier this month, even managed to serve up a few treats one-handed!

Under new management since March 2021, the owners of The Royal Oak pledged to spend the rest of the year raising as much money as possible for UK charities following the pandemic.

In August, they hosted a fundraising weekend for Velindre Cancer Center which raised a staggering £11,040.

The pub’s manager Chris Williams said: “The support from the Saundersfoot community has been immense.

“What started as a small concept to raise a few hundred pounds for charities close to our hearts has absolutely taken off and we couldn’t be prouder of the people around us.

“Our staff were amazing on the day and we’re really grateful to Josh and Tom for joining the cause - it was an all-around superb event!”

Anne Alison, co-owner of The Royal Oak, was the driving force of the charity fundraiser.

Not only did Anne invest time organising the event, but gave up annual leave from her job as a GP to coordinate the morning.

Many members of the community donated cakes, decorations and raffle prizes.

The Royal Oak also partnered up with a local independent business Calon Candles on the day, with their Halloween themed ‘Pumpkin Spice’ candles available to buy and a percentage of the proceeds donated to ??Macmillan.

Anne commented: “This really has been a combined effort and we’re grateful to everyone that supported both us and Macmillan Cancer Support.

“We’ve achieved so much in a short space of time and look forward to our next opportunity to make a difference.”