Regulars and staff at Greene King pubs across Cumbria have raised a whopping £53,188 for Macmillan Cancer Support in just seven years, helping people living with cancer and their families receive essential physical, emotional and financial support.
The cash is part of an amazing £7million the pub company and brewer has raised since choosing Macmillan as its charity partner in January 2012. It has helped fund thousands of hours of Macmillan professional care, supporting people living with cancer across the UK.
Greene King originally only set out to raise £1million for Macmillan in three years but quickly smashed that target, raising £2million in the last year alone.
Greene King team members have collected funds in a variety of ways including gruelling physical challenges such as The Ultimate Brewery Bike Tour and Kilimanjaro treks to community-based events like family fun days and music festivals, and through ‘Macmillan May’ – Greene King’s intensive month of fundraising which generated £711,499 in 2019.
Bespoke challenges include London to Paris and London to Amsterdam bike rides and a Kilimanjaro trek. Customers at Greene King pubs and restaurants have also contributed by purchasing specially selected charity desserts, with a donation from sales going directly to Macmillan.
With more than 100 years’ experience supporting people with cancer and their loved ones, Macmillan helps up to 6.5million people every year to navigate all the things that cancer may throw their way. The money raised by Greene King helps to fund a variety of cancer-care professionals including nurses and physiotherapists.
In addition to professionals, the charity offers a wide range of physical, emotional and financial cancer support. Available to people from the moment they are diagnosed this includes a free support line, expert cancer information and an online community.
Nick Mackenzie, chief executive at Greene King, said: “Raising £7million for Macmillan is an incredible milestone for us. A big thank you to our team members who always pull out the stops to raise money. I’ve seen first-hand some of the staggering efforts they go to, including cycling more than 400 miles from our brewery in Bury St Edmunds to our brewery in Scotland. And thanks to our customers too, who always put their hands in their pockets to support Macmillan.
“We’ve ramped up our support over the last 12 months, including rolling out Pennies – the digital collection box – in all of our pubs which has already raised more than £670,000. As we enter our eighth year supporting Macmillan, we’re looking at new ways we can help those living with cancer.”
Rachel Gascoigne, Senior Partnership Manager at Macmillan said: “This money goes directly to supporting people living with cancer and we are very grateful to the Greene King customers and staff across Cumbria for their amazing support and generosity.
“Macmillan’s ambition is to be right there for everybody with cancer from the moment they are diagnosed. We are funded almost entirely by donations. Without the continued generosity of the public and partners like Greene King, we simply wouldn’t be able to provide vital support to those people who desperately need it.
“Our support line, information services and Macmillan professionals are right there to make sure that everyone with cancer gets the support they need.”
If you need support or just want someone to talk to about cancer, call Macmillan Cancer Support free on 0808 808 00 00 or visit macmillan.org.uk
