Greene King has presented Switchboard LGBT+ Helpline with £50,000 at the City of Quebec, London’s oldest LGBTQ+ pub. This is the third year that the pub company and brewer has supported the charity, bringing its total support to £70,000.
As part of its #DiversityMakesUs campaign during Pride month in June, Greene King partnered with Coca-Cola Zero Sugar and Absolut Vodka to donate 10p (+VAT)* per drink sold across Greene King’s 1,600 managed pubs to the charity.
The funds raised will go towards supporting Switchboard with its freephone helpline number which was launched at the beginning of the year. The charity continues to receive ever-increasing caller volumes that Switchboard is currently facing from members of the LGBTQ+ community and beyond. The helpline service is run mostly by volunteers and provides a confidential and non-judgemental helpline for LGBTQ+ people looking for a sense of community, support or information, 365 days a year.
Switchboard is the chosen charity of Greene King’s LGBTQ+ focussed employee led inclusion group, The Village Greene. The group, which is made up of team members from across the business, has helped Greene King take positive, practical steps towards everyday inclusion, with its mission to Advocate, Celebrate and Educate. Earlier this year, the group was integral to the development of the company’s new gender identity policy designed to support gender fluid team members and those who were transitioning at work.
Assad Malic, Greene King’s chief communications and sustainability officer, and Village Greene executive board sponsor said: “The work Switchboard does is incredibly important for the LGBTQ+ community, and with the help of our supplier partners we’re proud to have raised an outstanding £50,000 through donations from the sale of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar and Absolut Vodka.
“As the heart of communities, pubs play a vital role in supporting the LGBTQ+ community, and we will continue to ensure inclusivity is at the core of all we do, to help promote allyship between team members and support all of our guests to feel a sense of belonging.”
Stephanie Fuller, CEO at Switchboard, the national LGBTQ+ helpline said: “The £50,000 donation from Greene King has helped to fund our freephone helpline and means that we will be able to meet the ever-rising demand for our services in these difficult times for the LGBTQ+ communities.
“We are delighted that Greene King has continued to support us and raise awareness of the service we provide and look forward to continuing to work together.”
