GK celebrates £3.8m raised for Macmillan Cancer Support

The figure was an £800,000 uplift on the previous year and the highest yearly fundraising total in the history of the partnership.

At the beginning of last year, Greene King pledged its first £1m raised to Macmillan’s Emergency Grants Appeal, supporting those living with cancer with rising cost-of-living expenses. The brewer and pub company then announced in May that it had reached its first fundraising milestone for the year.

Fundraising has continued to go from strength to strength, with team members around the UK taking on challenges such as scaling mountains, hiking and running marathons and tackling the Yr Wyddfa (Snowdonia) Sea to Summit, as well as pub teams hosting local fundraising events, pub quizzes and Macmillan Coffee Mornings throughout the year too. 

Online collection tin

The smaller donations that happen daily across all of Greene King’s 1,600 pubs, from the £1 dropped into the collection tin on the bar to the 25p donations that are added via Pennies (the online collection tin) have also added to this record result.

Greene King CEO Nick Mackenzie said: “Every day we see people coming together in our pubs to support one another. This record-breaking fundraising total for Macmillan is a perfect example of this, where our dedicated pub teams have joined forces with our amazing communities to support a cause that is close to the hearts of so many.”

He continued: “It’s not just the big fundraising events that help draw in the much-needed funds. A large proportion of our fundraising is generated through the smaller donations made via collection tins and Pennies when our customers pay their bill. These little and often donations are not to be underestimated, as they really do add up to make a significant impact.”

Passion and dedication

Macmillan Cancer Support CEO Gemma Peters said: “I am amazed by the incredible amount Greene King raised for us last year. The passion and dedication from the team members, as well as the generosity of Greene King customers, is very special.

“Their collective ambition to get behind the cause and raise as much money as possible is so inspiring and the funds raised mean even more people living with cancer will receive vital support from Macmillan, at a time when they need it most.”

Greene King has supported Macmillan since 2012, raising over £17m in the past 11 years of its partnership with the cancer charity, with fundraising efforts continuing into 2024 in its 1,600 pubs, restaurants and hotels across the UK.