One of the country’s top advertising gurus has spent five days in hospital after being bitten by a dog while advising his local pub on how best to survive the lockdown.

“You can now call me a hard-bitten media man!” said Robin Wight, the creative force behind ground-breaking campaigns including 118-118, Orange, Carling Black Label and BMW, who offered his free expertise to the Royal Oak Inn, which has served Luxborough for 600 years.

For the past five years Robin has lived on a farm on the outskirts of the village and regarded the pub as a vital part of the area’s communal and social life.

“I thought it would be disastrous if anything happened to the Royal Oak because of the lockdown. After all, it’s been in the village since the 14th century. That’s why I offered my marketing skills and will help in any way I can,” Robin said. “I hardly expected to end up in hospital!”

He said he was bitten by a local dog after having a meeting with landlord Spencer Braydon-Phillips about the pub’s plans for a free food delivery service over a ten-mile radius of Luxborough. There were complications with the wound and he spent five days in Musgrove Park hospital.

“My own dog, Slim Shady, was also bitten in the attack. He had a puncture wound on his chest that required an anaesthetic operation.

“I arrived at the hospital in my uniform of Honorary Colonel of the 77th Brigade – the army’s information warfare brigade – having attended a Remembrance Day service at Crowcombe. The whole incident has been surreal, to put it mildly, but it certainly hasn’t put me off doing my best for the pub.”

Described as ‘a legend in advertising’ by the BBC, and voted an Industry Leader of the Year, Robin also helped to raise £50 million as chairman of the Duke of Edinburgh Award’s Charter for Business, and was appointed a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order.

“The Royal Oak is making a real entrepreneurial initiative, which all pubs should be doing in these hard times. Customers must realise it’s a case of ‘use it or lose it’,” Robin said. He added that since the free delivery service was marketed online, sales had more than doubled.

“Robin has been brilliant and we are very grateful for all his help,” Spencer said. “I have only been here since September but the local community has been fantastic, they couldn’t have been more supportive.

“There are some lovely people around here and when things return to something like normal we have some very special plans for the months ahead.”