· 85% of pubs raise money for Charity
· Each pub raises on average £2,742
· 5% growth in fundraising since 2010
· New research shows people would visit pubs more regularly if their local pubs organised more charity events
· CAMRA launch national ‘Pubs & Charity’ campaign to raise awareness of this fantastic work
CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, in association with PubAid, has today launched ‘Pubs & Charity’ month and announced new research that shows British pubs raised more than £106 million in the last year for different charities. This is an average of £2,742 per pub.
In a study conducted by CGA on behalf of CAMRA and PubAid, results showed that 85% of pubs were actively raising money for charity and despite tough economic times, funds raised annually by pubs had increased by nearly 5% since 2010.
CAMRA’s ‘Pubs & Charity’ campaign encourages pubs to organise charity events throughout July and promote the amazing work they do to the media and their communities. Pubs sometimes get unfairly blamed for anti-social behaviour in villages, towns and cities and this campaign aims to help raise the profile of the British pub.
In a separate independent survey commissioned for CAMRA and PubAid by TNS, research showed that more people would use their local pubs if more charity events were organised. 21% of all adults agreed with this statement but it was an amazing 32% of young adults aged 18-24 who said they would use their local more regularly if more events supported charities.
CAMRA has issued around 7,000 free promotional packs to pubs to help them advertise what they have planned for July. This campaign will not only benefit charities but also encourage more people to support their community pubs, which is important at a time when 26 pubs are closing every week.
Mike Benner, CAMRA’s Chief Executive said, “CAMRA and PubAid feel it is time British pubs got the recognition for the amazing funds they raise for numerous charities across Britain. Pubs can get unfairly blamed for a lot of anti-social behaviour but often the alcohol that has led to these problems has not been drunk in pubs.”
Benner concluded, “The pub industry has been struggling in these tough economic times but our new research shows all parties win if pubs run charity events. The charities get important funds, pubs get busier and the locals get some fun events to attend. We hope everyone will encourage their local pub to participate in July’s ‘Pubs & Charity’ month and the community will support these activities.”
Des O’Flanagan, one of the co-founders of PubAid, said: “What other industry can demonstrate such generosity and selflessness in this economic climate. These results should act as a reminder that pubs are very much part of the fabric of our community and make a meaningful contribution”.
Mr O’Flanagan added, “The PubAid team is dedicated to combatting the areas of the press and perception from some corners that view pubs as only having a negative contribution to society. We do this by sharing the work that pubs do for charitable causes. The contribution of licensees and their customers is made even more amazing if you consider the financial pressure licensees and consumers are under at the moment”.
JD Wetherspoon, who has a pub estate of over 850 pubs, has recently announced they have now raised a staggering £7 million over the years for CLIC Sargent.
Lorraine Clifton, Chief Executive of CLIC Sargent said, “This is a towering achievement by J D Wetherspoon and it means everything to the children and young people and their families whom we look after. Every penny raised means we can help more children and young people and their families coping with cancer. That is priceless.”
A few examples of what pubs in the ‘Greater London’ CAMRA region have been doing:
- Three Crowns, Bushey Heath, Hertfordshire (WD23 1EA)
Weekly Charity Quiz Nights have raised over £45,000 and annual beer festivals have raised over £5,000.
- The Bricklayer’s Arms, Putney, London (SW15 1DD)
The pub opened as a direct result of the licensee’s sister’s death from a brain haemorrhage. She is now trustee of Headway South West London, a local brain injury charity and runs extreme marathons, eg North Pole marathon and Great Wall of China to raise money, supported by customers. The pub also runs a pub quiz and is planning a fun run down to Hammersmith Bridge in November to raise more money for charity.
- The Prince Arthur, London Fields, London (E8 3BH)
The pub ran an onnovative ‘Tins for Taster’s evening in cooperation with Hackney Foodbank where they encouraged customers to bring donations of long life food items and in return we gave out free tasters from our new menu.
For a list of examples from all UK regions, please visit
www.communitypubscampaign.org.
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Notes to editors:
Due to distribution issues some email addresses did not receive the above release yesterday, and as such we are reissiung it again today. If you have received this release more than once then please accept our apologies.
For further information, please contact:
Neil Walker, CAMRA Press Manager – 01727 798443 / 07939425471
James Cuthbertson, PubAid Spokesperson – 07841742678