Bolton driver is pulling in the pounds for pub

The 51-year-old married father is hoping to pull in the pounds so his beloved watering hole and live music venue can continue to pull the pints ­— by pulling a replica model truck.

Phil, who lives in Tonge Moor, will be pulling the truck he made from Bolton to Blackpool to raise money for The Waterloo, which like much of the hospitality sector was badly impacted by Covid.

The truck pull is designed to raise money for the pub and also encourage people to support their own local.

“I wanted to make an impact a statement and raise awareness, “said Phil, who in 2013 built a replica fire engine to pull to raise money for charity in memory of Bolton firefighter Phil Johnson.

Now tomorrow he will be back on the road to support the Blackpool venue and its landlord Ian Fletcher.

“The pub does so much for the community, and during lockdown they were helping in anyway the could.

“It is such a special place and I want people who see it to support their local.”

Phil, who is a huge fan of Motorhead, and Airbourne, first visited the pub to watch a band and ended up having a drink with the former lead singer of Iron Maiden, Blaze Bayley.

He said: “I love the Waterloo its were memories are made, it is like the holy grail to rock.

“Ian Fletcher is one hell of a man, an inspiration.

“It has taken a lot of time and a large amount of money to do this and I could of just given it to the fund but the truck means more than that. Ian has given so much to Blackpool and I thought it was time we did something for him. The truck means Hope, and it might inspire others to fight for there local pubs and venues around the UK. My wife and I feel very passionate about the Waterloo and our rock family.”

Phil will be joined by his two sons Stefan and Philip, and friends Pete Hallows, Richard Taylor and Billy Wheeler.They will be joined by the Waterloo for the final stretch of the journey.To support the fundraiser visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/running-wild-waterloo-truck-pull