Team Margot: Operators join forces for #LiveYourLife day

Pub groups such as Yummy Pubs, Faucet Inn, Beds & Bars, Glendola Leisure and restaurant chain La Tasca have committed to support the day, run in honour of former Beds and Bars people director Franca Knowles, who died last year.

Each year, the event will raise funds for a charity partner. The 2015 day sees these firms hold activities to raise money for the Team Margot Foundation, a charity set up by PubAid director Yaser Martini in memory of his daughter Margot, who died of leukaemia last year.

The charity encourages people to sign up to the stem call register as a potential donor to help the fight against blood cancer.

Within these venues, staff will be giving out 150,000 cyan blue wristbands (Franca’s favourite colour) with every sale.

And beyond this family of companies the wider hospitality industry, including pub operator and brewer Greene King, is also set to support by printing and displaying posters within their venues.

The coalition is calling on the trade to support Live Your Life Day by taking pictures and sharing photos on social media using the hashtags #liveyourlifeday and #togethersavinglives.

'Grateful'​

Keith Knowles, chief executive of Beds and Bars, has been speaking in the lead up to ’s Live Your Life Day, which is in honour of his late wife Franca.

"I started to make a list of all the wonderful people and companies that are backing this industry initiative and frankly, it’s pretty much all inclusive. Everyone I know is right behind what we’re doing. We are overwhelmed by the fantastic support and feel so so very grateful.”

"Our industry is doing something that I don’t see happening anywhere else, in any other sector. Live Your Life Day underscores what fabulous work our industry does for charity and good causes. It’s the reason why we set up PubAid to highlight the £100m+ that's raised in pubs for charity every year. Live Your Life Day takes things to a whole new level; we have started something which we hope will continue grow into the future for many years to come.”

To find out more about how to register as a potential blood stem cell donor and about the charity, go to www.teammargot.com/how-to-register​.

Full list of participants:​

There are a ‘family' of bars, pubs and restaurants in the UK and Europe taking part, including venues such as Rainforest Café, Waxy O’Connors (Glendola Leisure) The Worlds End, KuPP, Faucet Inn  Yummy Pubs, The Epicurean Collection, Belushi’s bars and St Christophers Inns and the La Tasca restaurant chains.

Beyond that, the hospitality industry is supporting further still by printing and displaying this poster in venues​ in the lead up to and on the 30 July.

National brewer and leisure retailer Greene King is supporting, as is Spirit Pub Company (Chef & Brewer, Fayre & Square  Wacky Warehouse amongst other brands) and Drake & Morgan. Each company is choosing to embrace Live Your Life Day in their own way.