Great British Pub Awards

Coca-Cola pledges £165k for GBPA winners

By Chris Lowe

- Last updated on GMT

Prizes: Rewarding deserving pub heroes
Prizes: Rewarding deserving pub heroes

Related tags Coca-cola Great british pub awards Rob Harris low2no CCEP

Coca-Cola has created a special Community Pub Fund of £165,000 to be shared between this year’s 15 Great British Pub Awards (GBPA) Pub Heroes winners as a thank you for supporting communities during the coronavirus pandemic and to help give their businesses a bit more of a boost and help ensure the hospitality sector gets back to its best.

This year, as a one-off, organiser of the awards The Morning Advertiser ​has pivoted the GBPAs to celebrate pubs that have worked to help locals throughout lockdown.

GBPA Pub Heroes judges will shortlist 101 pubs – one for each day of lockdown – from all entries, before the public vote for the 15 individual category winners.

Some of the categories now open for entry celebrate pubs that gave rooms to key workers, those that provided meals to people in need and pubs that did their bit to keep their community’s spirits up.

Each winner will be offered the opportunity to submit an application for up to £10,000 each to fund a business improvement or upgrade or to put towards a community project*​. The prize is funded as part of the $120m the global Coca-Cola system donated to Covid-19 relief efforts in affected communities.

Further £1,000 to charities

Additionally, Coca-Cola European Partners is sponsoring the Frontline-Support category and will fund a further £1,000 donation to a local charity or good cause supported by each of the winning pubs*​.

Publisher of The Morning Advertiser​ Chris Lowe said: “We have been deeply moved by the stories from pubs across the UK providing much needed support for their communities.

“They haven’t received a round of applause and were often not paid for the services they provided. We want the Great British Pub Awards this year to not only recognise what pubs have done, but shine a light on this to the whole British public.

“Coca-Cola has been a fantastic supporter of the trade amid the crisis, and we have been blown away by its pledge to further help the industry and make a real difference to these winning pubs.”

Coca-Cola European Partner’s Rob Harris, VP for sales, said: “During this pandemic so many communities have benefitted from their local pub turning their hand to become a shop, a delivery service and even continuing to put on the weekly pub quiz virtually to remain in contact with those who might be on their own.

To say thank you

“This is a gesture to say thank you and help pubs, who have continued to be at the heart of their communities, to open like never before and prosper in the future. We want to see our sector thrive and get back to its best after a difficult few months.”

Every pub that has helped to support its community through any initiative during lockdown is being encouraged to enter the awards for free.

The Morning Advertiser ​and the GBPA’s want to shine a deserving light on how the pub sector benefits locals.

To enter, please visit https://www.greatbritishpubawards.co.uk/enter/​ by the deadline of July 24 2020.

*Coca-Cola Community Pub Fund application T&Cs and charity donation / good cause T&Cs will be shared with each of the winners following the announcement on 24th​ September

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