Stonegate Group, the UK’s largest Pub Company, has announced a corporate fundraising partnership with the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association and MND Scotland, working with the two charities across England, Wales and Scotland.
Stonegate’s teams will be coming up with imaginative and creative ways of raising money for the charities as well as encouraging customers to get involved. This partnership runs across the national Stonegate estate, including its pubs, bars, venues and head office support teams. The money raised will help fund the vital work and support the charities provides for those living with MND, and their family, friends and carers.
Simon Longbottom, CEO of Stonegate Group, said: “Our pubs, bars and venues all play a huge part in the communities they operate in, and are brilliant at bringing individuals together for great causes. I am excited to see how creative our teams get in the planning of all the various fundraising initiatives during this partnership. There are many synergies between our company and MND Association, especially its regionality. We are delighted that our teams in Scotland will be working directly with MND Scotland, just as in England and Wales, which means they are able to make further direct impact in their local communities.
“The work and support that the MND Association and MND Scotland provide is incredible and we are privileged to be able to help them and do our part in raising awareness of this cause.”
The MND Association focuses improving access to care and providing information and support for people living with or affected by MND in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and MND Scotland does the same for those living in Scotland. Both charities fund and promote research that leads to new understanding and treatments and brings a cure closer. They campaign and raise awareness so the needs of people with MND across the UK are recognised and addressed by wider society. People with MND, their families and carers are at the heart of everything they do.
Sally Light, Chief Executive of the Motor Neurone Disease Association, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been chosen as charity partner for Stonegate Group, along with our close colleagues at MND Scotland. MND is a devastating disease that currently has no cure or effective treatment – we are working tirelessly to change that through funding and promoting cutting-edge MND research. Alongside supporting people living with MND, their families and carers, we also fund the co-ordination of care through our 22 MND care centres and networks across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The fundraising taking place this year through this partnership will directly help us to keep pushing for vital treatments and a cure. I am incredibly excited to see what we can achieve together.”
Rachel Maitland, Chief Executive of MND Scotland, said: “We are thrilled to be working with Stonegate Group and our friends at the MND Association. MND Scotland is only able to provide life-changing support to people living with MND right now, and fund ground-breaking research to discover meaningful treatments and a cure, because of incredible supporters like Stonegate Group. Your support will make a real difference to people in Scotland, who are currently affected by this heart-breaking disease, and will drive forward our search for a cure. Together, we will beat MND.”
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NOTES TO EDITORS
About Stonegate Group
Following the acquisition of Ei Group on 3rd March 2020 for £1.27bn, Stonegate Group is the largest pub company in the UK. Its portfolio is comprised of over 4,500 sites, split across the managed division and leased and tenanted businesses.
The managed pubs division, which employs over 14,500 people, is split into Branded and Traditional pubs. Branded is comprised of: Slug & Lettuce, Popworld, Be At One and Venues. Traditional (unbranded) pubs are made up of: Proper Pubs, Town Pub & Kitchen, Classic Inns, Common Room and Craft Union.
2022
- Publican Awards – Best Community Operator (Craft Union Pub Company)
2021
- Licensed Trade Charity Awards raising awareness through fundraising
- Great British Pub Awards – Stonegate Group Pub Partners’ Pub of the Year, Best Pub to Watch Sport
- MCA Retailers’ Retailer Awards – The Hero Award (Suzanne Baker)
2020
- Great British Pub Awards – Feeding the Community, Community Mindfulness & Ei Publican Partnerships Pub of the Year
- REBA Employee Wellbeing Awards – Best New Wellbeing Strategy (5000+ staff)
- Publican Awards – Best Pub Employer (501+ employees)
- Publican Awards – Best Community Operator (Craft Union Pub Company)
2019
- BII’s National Innovation in Training Awards (NITAs): HR Manager of the Year Lee Woolley
- CGA Insight Hero and Icon Awards (two awards): Icon Award Ian Payne MBE, Business Leader, Simon Longbottom
- UK Hospitality’s Dusk ‘til Dawn Late Night Awards (two awards) – Icon Award (Ian Payne MBE), Best Marketing and Promotions Award
- Great British Pub Awards – Best LGBTQ+ Pub
- BII Scotland Awards Best Operator for Training
- Retailers’ Retailer of the Year (two awards): Lifetime Achievement Award Ian Payne MBE, Investor of the Year TDR Capital
- Menu Innovation & Development Awards (MIDAS) (two awards): Best Menu Premium High Street Pub: Slug & Lettuce; Best Menu Town & City Pub: Walkabout
- Publican Awards (five awards): Best Community Pub Operator, Best Pub Employer (501+ employees), Best Managed Pub Company (51+ sites), Best Drinks Offer, Business Leader of the Year Chief Executive, Simon Longbottom
2018
- British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) Chairman’s Award
- UK Hospitality’s Dusk ‘til Dawn Late Night Awards: Best Service & Team
- Licensed Trade Charity: Outstanding Corporate Contribution Award
- Great British Pub Awards (two awards): Best LGBTQ+ and Best Sports Pub
- APPBG PUBAID Corporate Charity Fundraiser Award
- Publican Awards: Best Late Night Operator
2017
- Great British Pub Awards (three awards): Best Pub Garden, Best Entertainment and Best Sports Pub
- Publican Awards (two awards): Best Managed Pub Company; Best Late Night Operator, plus highly commended Best Employer 501+ employees
- Menu Innovation and Development Award (MIDAS): Premium High Street Pub Town Pub & Kitchen
- Retailers’ Retailer Award: Investor of the Year TDR Capital
2016
- BII National Industry Training Awards (NITAs) (two awards): Best Managed Company for Training; Lifetime Achievement Award for Chairman, Ian Payne
- Great British Pub Awards: Best Sports Pub
- Scottish Training Federation: Best Large Employer
- HR Excellence Awards: Best Learning and Development Strategy
- HR Distinction Awards: Innovation for Digital & Social Media
2015
- HR Distinction Awards: People Development
2014
- HR Distinction: Innovative Use of Technology
- Publican Awards: Business Leader of the Year, Chairman Ian Payne
- Menu Innovation and Development Award (MIDAS): Best New Concept Missoula, Montana Bar & Grill
2013
- Publican Award Best Pub Employer 51+ sites
- Menu Innovation and Development Award (MIDAS): City and Bar Dining Slug and Lettuce
About motor neurone disease (MND):
- MND is a fatal, rapidly progressing disease that affects the brain and spinal cord.
- It attacks the nerves that control movement so muscles no longer work. MND does not usually affect the senses such as sight, sound and feeling etc.
- It can leave people locked in a failing body, unable to move, talk and eventually breathe.
- Over 80% of people with MND will have communication difficulties, for most this means a complete loss of voice.
- It affects people from all communities.
- Around 35% of people with MND experience mild cognitive change, in other words, changes in thinking and behaviour. A further 15% of people show signs of frontotemporal dementia which results in more pronounced behavioural change.
- It kills a third of people within a year and more than half within two years of diagnosis.
- A person’s lifetime risk of developing MND is around 1 in 300.
- Six people per day are diagnosed with MND in the UK.
- It affects up to 5,000 adults in the UK at any one time.
- It kills six people per day in the UK, just under 2,200 per year.
- It has no cure.
About the Motor Neurone Disease Association:
The MND Association was founded in 1979 by a group of volunteers with experience of living with or caring for someone with MND. Since then, we have grown significantly, with an ever-increasing community of volunteers, supporters and staff, all sharing the same goal – to support people with MND and everyone who cares for them, both now and in the future.
The MND Association focuses on improving access to care, research and campaigning for those people living with or affected by MND in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
About MND Scotland
With over 40 years of experience, MND Scotland is the leading charity providing care and support to people living with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in Scotland. We fund cutting-edge research to improve quality of life, to discover meaningful treatments and to ultimately find a cure for MND. We campaign and raise awareness of the disease to ensure the voice of people affected is heard.
Press release from Stonegate Group
Contact: georgiamackey@leisurepr.co.uk