Greene King has donated £15,000 to Pub is The Hub’s Community Services Fund for the second year running to support rural pubs who want to diversify their services for the benefit of their communities.
The Community Services Fund’s aim is to provide funds to licensees who are looking to broaden their services to the wider community and cannot find suitable funding from other sources. With grants of up to £4,000 available, applicants must demonstrate that they will be offering a new service or replacing a service that has already been lost to its local community.
Since 2013, the Community Services Fund has:
- Supported 38 projects in England
- Offered more than 47 types of additional services
- Benefitted over 40,000 people
- Completed 22 projects and has 16 still in progress
- Raised over £175k from government and industry
In addition, for every £1 that is invested in the Community Service Fund by Pub is the Hub, a further £1 is matched or invested by public funding or private investment.
John Longden, chief executive of Pub is The Hub said: “We are enormously grateful that Greene King has endorsed the work we have done to date with the Community Services Fund by contributing to it for the second year running. Their kind donation will see at least £30,000 in real improvements to rural and community services through the heroic efforts of licensees who take the leap of faith to broaden their appeal and long-term viability.”
One beneficiary of the Community Services Fund is free trade licensee Juliette Chapman of the Queen’s Head at Hawkedon near Bury St Edmunds. Juliette now provides her local community with a butchery which is adjoined to the pub and has been a real success.
John continued: “We’re particularly proud of the fact that once Pub is The Hub has committed to a scheme, we find that other sources of funds then become available because we have effectively endorsed the idea.”
He went on to add: “Fundraising for an initiative such as the Community Services Fund never stops because we are easily spending the funds that we have already raised with many other potential projects still in the pipeline. Greene King’s much needed injection of cash will press the green light on several new projects awaiting the go-ahead for funds. We are very happy to talk to any other pub operators or brand owner who want to get involved with our work.”
Rooney Anand, Greene King’s chief executive said: “We have continued to support Pub is The Hub with additional central funding this year. Pubs are an important part of the community and the Community Services Fund provides crucial support to enable pubs to offer other services to their local area, such as butchers, libraries or post offices. We are heartened to see what a positive impact the Community Services Fund has already made and look forward to seeing further progress this year.”
The photograph shows: Terry Stork from Pub is The Hub with Mark Blythman from Greene King at the Queen’s Head at Hawkedon near Bury St Edmunds, where the licensee, Scott Chapman opened a successful butchery adjoining the pub.
About Greene King
Greene King, the pub retailer and brewer, was founded in 1799 and is headquartered in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. It currently employs 23,000 people across its main trading divisions: Retail, Pub Partners and Brewing & Brands.
It operates 1,914 pubs, restaurants and hotels across England, Wales and Scotland, of which 1,032 are retail pubs, restaurants and hotels, and 882 are tenanted, leased and franchised pubs. Its leading retail brands are Hungry Horse, Old English Inns, Eating Inn and Loch Fyne Seafood and Grill.
Greene King also brews quality ale brands from its Bury St. Edmunds and Dunbar breweries, and is the UK’s leading cask ale brewer and premium ale brewer with brands such as Greene King IPA, Old Speckled Hen, Abbot Ale and Belhaven Best.