Pub company and brewer, Greene King, is celebrating another record-breaking fundraising year for Macmillan Cancer Support, as its team members across its pubs, breweries and support centres raised a phenomenal £3.8million in 2023, up £800k on the previous year, and the highest yearly fundraising total in the history of the partnership.
This latest fundraising achievement is the equivalent of £434 raised every hour and in total could fund up to 82,353 Macmillan nursing hours, helping to provide people living with cancer with the support that they need, when they need it most.
This vital support is so important to people like Charlotte 46, from Kent, who was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2022. Charlotte discusses the impact her Macmillan nurse had on her own experience: “When I received my diagnosis, my Macmillan nurse was with the consultant when he told me. She stayed and talked to me about the next steps. She helped me make sense of what was happening. She offered support when I had to tell my 16-year-old daughter. Macmillan nurses are the life blood of people’s cancer journey. They go above and beyond what is required.”
At the beginning of 2023, Greene King pledged its first £1m raised to Macmillan’s Emergency Grants Appeal, supporting those living with cancer with rising cost of living expenses. The brewer and pub company then announced in May that it had reached its first fundraising milestone for the year.
From there, fundraising continued to go from strength to strength, with team members around the UK taking on a host of extreme personal challenges such as scaling mountains, hiking and running marathons and tackling the Yr Wyddfa (Snowdonia) Sea to Summit, as well as pub teams hosting local fundraising events, pub quizzes and Macmillan Coffee Mornings throughout the year too.
The smaller donations that happen daily across all of Greene King’s 1,600 pubs, from the £1 dropped into the collection tin on the bar to the 25p donations that are added via Pennies (the online collection tin) have also added to this record result.
Nick Mackenzie, Greene King CEO, said: “Every day we see people coming together in our pubs to support one another. This record-breaking fundraising total for Macmillan is a perfect example of this, where our dedicated pub teams have joined forces with our amazing communities to support a cause that is close to the hearts of so many.”
“It’s not just the big fundraising events that help draw in the much-needed funds. A large proportion of our fundraising is generated through the smaller donations made via collection tins and Pennies when our customers pay their bill. These little and often donations are not to be underestimated, as they really do add up to make a significant impact.”
“The £3.8m raised last year will help Macmillan to continue provide the important support they deliver to people living with cancer, and I know our team members across our pubs and support centres are galvanised and ready to go again in 2024!”
Gemma Peters, Chief Executive Officer at Macmillan Cancer Support said: “I am amazed by the incredible amount Greene King raised for us last year. The passion and dedication from the team members, as well as the generosity of Greene King customers, is very special. Their collective ambition to get behind the cause and raise as much money as possible is so inspiring and the funds raised mean even more people living with cancer will receive vital support from Macmillan, at a time when they need it most. To everyone involved, whether it is someone who has taken part in a challenge, hosted a coffee morning or generously donated to a fundraising tin, I cannot thank you enough.”
