Star Pubs colleagues have taken part in 10 ‘Star Turns Orange’ walks across the country to raise £50,000 for one of the UK’s leading loneliness charities, Marmalade Trust2.
Since making Marmalade Trust their official charity a year ago, HEINEKEN UK and Star Pubs have raised over £100,000 on its behalf with activities ranging from a gala ball to fundraisers such as quizzes, cake sales in pubs and their Marmalade Sundae and Marmalade Spritz menu items which are available in their managed operator pubs.
The £50,000 raised from the Star Turns Orange walks will fund loneliness awareness training in pubs and campaigns to increase understanding of the issue of loneliness in society.
To understand the scale of loneliness in the country Star Pubs commissioned research of 2066 adults in April 2024*.
- 50% say they feel lonely at least once a week and a tenth of respondents (11%) feel lonely every day. The most common time to be lonely is on weekday evenings with a third of people reporting this.
- To make their weekends appear busier, nearly 40% (39%) claim to fib all the time or sometimes about what they have done
- Four out of ten people (39%) say they think the uncertain and worrying times we live in make them feel more lonely than they would otherwise.
The research also revealed the critical role that pubs play in addressing loneliness:
- The main reason for going to the pub for three quarters of pubgoers is to connect with other people and more than a third visit their local to engage with their community.
- 88% of people agree that social hubs and third spaces, such as pubs, are important to prevent loneliness and create social connections.
- More than half of respondents – 55% – say they would like to go on more nights out, but don’t get asked.
- Two thirds of people think it is important for pubs to create events for the community and four out of 10 think it’s important for them to support charity.
Lawson Mountstevens, Star Pubs’ Managing Director said:
“We can all feel lonely at times. It is not exclusive to one age group or situation. Our research shows the scale of loneliness and how the current worrying times are exacerbating the issue. It also reveals the vital role pubs play in alleviating loneliness, acting as social hubs. We’re delighted to help fundraise on behalf of Marmalade Trust and to highlight the issue of loneliness in society.”
Amy Perrin, Founder of Marmalade Trust, Marmalade Trust says:
“We are a small charity with a big mission. We are dedicated to raising awareness of loneliness and empowering people to make connections. That includes signposting people experiencing loneliness to the right support and resources to help them make new connections and friendships. Thanks to the money raised by Star Pubs and Heineken our reach is spreading and is also making an impact in pubs, the length and breadth of the country. We’d love more pubs to get behind Loneliness Awareness Week 2024 on 10-16 June and introduce loneliness awareness staff training. So please join us in our mission.”
