Craft Union Pub Company Celebrates Raising More Than £1 million for Charity for the Second Year Running

Craft Union Pub Company has proudly reached the £1 million fundraising milestone towards local charitable causes for the second consecutive year, with its community pubs across the UK once again coming together to raise an incredible £1,358,422 for local causes as part of its nationwide Make It A Million campaign.

The achievement sees Craft Union build on last year’s success, reinforcing its community values and the powerful collective social impact of its pubs, operators and support teams. Since February 2025, every Craft Union pub has been fundraising for charities close to their hearts through events, donations and volunteering time, with every local effort contributing to the nationwide total.
In total, pubs raised £1,272,613, supported by a further £85,809 from Craft Union’s pub support teams, taking the overall total beyond £1.35 million.

The causes supported reflect the issues most important to local communities, with health charities such as Macmillan, Motor Neurone Disease Association and cancer awareness organisations the most donated to overall. But also donations to wellbeing and social enterprises have seen an increase through their growing importance to individual communities.

Fundraising activity over the year has ranged from sponsored challenges and 24-hour events to charity collections, community donation hubs and large-scale pub events.

Last year also marked Craft Union’s 10th anniversary, and to celebrate, every pub took part in a special initiative where 10p from every pint sold on the celebration day was donated to the local charity of their choice. This simple gesture meant that all pubs were able to contribute to their communities, adding to the impact of their wider fundraising efforts throughout the year.

Standout fundraising efforts this year include:
• The New Inn, Keynsham, which raised an impressive £99k, mainly supporting Operation Community Hamper and Dogs Friends – two charities deeply connected to the local community.
• The Cross Keys, Hull, which raised around £63,000 for charities including CALM, Help for Heroes, Men in Sheds and Dove House, with a strong focus on tackling mental health and loneliness.
• Garden House, Norwich, which raised approximately £40,000, supporting causes including homelessness charities, food banks, special needs schools, asylum seeker children and Only a Pavement Away.
• Greenford Arms, Greenford, which raised around £22,000, supporting an elderly care home, a local school and fundraising efforts for a terminally ill member of the community.
• The Malt Shovel, Pontefract, which raised more than £14,000, supporting over 50 charities and individuals, including Pontefract Family Centre, CoppaFeel, RNLI and the Royal British Legion, with a standout 24-hour cycle challenge.

In addition to pub-led fundraising, Craft Union and Operations, Support teams and Suppliers once again came together for the Craft Union Stomp, a nationwide walking challenge that took place in summer 2025. Split into regional routes, teams volunteered to take part in long-distance walks, stopping off at Craft Union pubs along the way to raise funds and engage local communities. The nationwide challenge raised nearly £23,000 for Help for Heroes and Pub is the Hub.

Frazer Grimbleby, Managing Director of Craft Union, said: “Reaching £1 million for local causes second year running is an incredible achievement and one we’re immensely proud of. It’s a powerful reminder of the vital role our pubs play at the heart of their communities and the social impact they create when people come together with a shared purpose.

“What makes this so special is that it’s driven by our operators and their teams. The events they organise, the causes they champion and the relationships they build locally are just so imortant. Every pub, every fundraiser and every act of generosity adds up to real support for people who need it most. This milestone truly shows the difference community pubs can make.”