Greene King launches LGBT+ network at London’s oldest gay pub

By Stuart Stone

- Last updated on GMT

Celebrating diversity: (l-r) Village Greene members, Scott Frankham, Dean Harrison, Muna, Aaron Blackmore and Jemma Bradley
Celebrating diversity: (l-r) Village Greene members, Scott Frankham, Dean Harrison, Muna, Aaron Blackmore and Jemma Bradley
Bury St Edmunds-based brewer and pub operator Greene King has officially launched LGBT+ network, The Village Greene, at what is thought to be London’s oldest LGBT+ pub.

Founded by the pubco’s employees to provide a support network to promote and enhance the LGBT+ community’s experience at Greene King, The Village Greene already has more than 200 members.

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To mark its official launch, the network held its first event at the City of Quebec in London’s West End, where its committee members outlined ambitions to working closely with Greene King’s HR team to develop industry leading policies to support and protect team members, and identify ways to help the operator of close to 3,000 pubs and almost 40,000 staff celebrate and promote its LGBT+ community.

Greene King London business unit director Karen Bosher explained: “The LGBT+ community is at the heart of our operation and it is a privilege to celebrate the diversity that the community brings to Greene King.

“I hope our team stand up and stand out for equality at every level and I am extremely proud to lead on such an important initiative for us as a company.”

Appetite from leadership

The Village Greene committee member and senior communications manager at Greene King, Scott Frankham, added: “We decided to reach out to the wider business to see if there was appetite to introduce an LGBT+ network at Greene King and the response was incredible.

“We now have eight members on the committee to shape and deliver the network’s priorities, and 200 people within the main group actively engaged to provide feedback and input for the business.

“The response we’ve had from the business has also been fantastic; there is real appetite from the leadership team to drive forward change that will make Greene King a leader in the industry for diversity and inclusion.”

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