Stonegate Group Raise £80,000 For LGBTQ+ Homelessness Charity Stonewall Housing

Stonegate Group has raised £80,000 for Stonewall Housing, the UK’s leading charity for LGBTQ+ people who are homeless or living in unsafe environments.

Since the partnership began in January 2022, Stonegate has supported Stonewall Housing through Pride campaigns, special events, and venue-led fundraising, as well as through sales of Polari and Rainbow Pilsner beers in its LGBTQ+ venues, with a portion of proceeds going directly to the charity.

Pride Month 2025 played a key role in this fundraising effort, with £11,922.20 raised through special Pride drinks activations alone.

This included £10,000 from Heineken sales, £1,362.20 from Rainbow Pilsner and Portobello Polari (with 10p from every pint donated to Stonewall Housing all year), and £560 from Be At One’s Pride-themed ‘Matcha Matcha Man’ cocktail, which donated 50p from each sale in June. Across the year so far, sales of Rainbow Pilsner and Portobello Polari have generated over £8,488.90 towards the total.

Pride celebrations also drove a significant uplift in key cities, with Manchester, Brighton and London seeing the strongest increases in trade in Stonegate venues during Pride weekends.

This fundraising reflects Stonegate’s wider ‘Serving with Pride’ campaign – an initiative to create safe, welcoming, and inclusive spaces across its venues, while championing the LGBTQ+ community year-round. Through themed drinks, Pride events, and visible allyship in venues, ‘Serving with Pride’ highlights Stonegate’s commitment to inclusivity and helps connect people with vital support services like Stonewall Housing.

The money raised so far has had a direct and meaningful impact, helping Stonewall Housing support nearly 4,000 LGBTQ+ people a year who are facing or experiencing homelessness. The funding has contributed to keeping the charity’s national housing advice line running, strengthening its casework services, and enabling faster responses to urgent referrals.

Claire Linacre Hilton, Director of Development at Stonewall Housing, said:
“Stonegate’s support has had a powerful and tangible impact. Their fundraising and national visibility through its network of pubs, bars and venues have enabled us to reach thousands of LGBTQ+ people facing or experiencing homelessness, and to keep vital services running at a time of unprecedented demand. It’s a partnership grounded in shared purpose, and we’re proud of what we’ve achieved together – with real ambition for what comes next.”

The partnership provides vital visibility in Stonegate’s LGBTQ+ venues, signposting those in crisis towards Stonewall Housing’s support. From posters and calendars to Pride activations, this visibility has proved lifesaving for people who may not otherwise have known where to turn.

Liam Martyn, Area Manager for Stonegate Group’s LGBTQ+ venues, said:
“We’re incredibly proud of the partnership with Stonewall Housing and everything it represents. Our teams and guests get behind the fundraising with real passion, and the difference it makes is clear. We’re excited to keep building on this success and to continue raising awareness and funds for such an important cause.”

Claire continued:
“Partnerships like this one are vital because LGBTQ+ homelessness is still far too hidden and that invisibility can be dangerous. Through its venues and campaigns, Stonegate is helping us reach people who might never have heard of us otherwise, while also raising the funds that keep our services running. We’re facing soaring demand and rising costs across the housing and homelessness sector, so support like this allows us to respond quickly and flexibly, and to grow our reach beyond London to meet need across the UK.”