Pubs raise £110m a year for charity

Pubs in the UK raise £110m a year for charitable causes, BII (British Institute of Innkeeping) chief executive Neil Robertson revealed at the trade body's annual lunch.

The total figure for charitable giving equates to £3,000 per pub. Top charities are: Help for Heroes, air ambulances, cancer charities, lifeboat charities and the Royal British Legion.

The figures have emerged from a survey of pubs by CGA Strategy on behalf of PubAid, which collates figures for donations to charity within the sector.

Robertson said: "Pubs do it not for praise — they do it to show their place at the heart of local communities. Congratulations to all who delivered this.

"Even if the economy stays flat, customers will still spend 9% of their disposable income on eating and drinking out.

"That's good news, and will remain true even if a case of beer is free with every bottle of pickled onions in the local supermarket. So let's stop, as a trade, our tendency to blame others, and do what we can — let's show our responsible entrepreneurial skills."

Robertson also hailed suppliers who are investing in training within the trade.

He highlighted Britvic for developing a new support package for licensees, adding: "Soft drinks are, of course, part of the story, but the training in customer-service excellence applies to other categories, and is increasingly what makes the difference in business. In fact, it's what will make the difference. That's why it's a priority for us and should be for all in our trade."

Robertson also mentioned SABMiller for its support of responsible alcohol sales by financing training and a qualification for nearly 3,000 servers working in small licensed businesses in the UK.

Bacardi also won Robertson's praise for a free online course that will help licensees train staff in responsible alcohol retailing. "I expect other major producers to get involved," he said.