Proper pubs heroes of hunger campaign donates enough food to feed 111 people in Mansfield

The pubs are part of Proper Pubs – the award-winning community wet-led operator division of Admiral Taverns which has over 200 pubs across England, Scotland and Wales – and recently took part in the company wide fundraising campaign, Heroes of Hunger.

The campaign forms part of the Group’s ongoing efforts to support all aspects of community life and specifically in this instance, those struggling in the cost-of-living crisis.

As part of this initiative, each Proper Pub took part in FoodFest, a fundraising weekend hosting events such as family fun days and music festivals – between 6th – 8th September 2024, coinciding with National Foodbank Day, in aid of their local foodbank. Throughout the weekend, every customer that donated an item of food was given a raffle ticket to be in with a chance of winning a bar tab at their local Proper Pub.

Over the weekend, Proper Pubs successfully collected over *1,000 ‘bags for life’ worth of food as well as over **£5,200 to donate to their local foodbanks. In total this is enough food to feed 1,300 people across the UK.

Each year, Proper Pubs runs community campaigns to support worthwhile local initiatives. Throughout 2023, each Proper Pub worked hard to raise the funds to have a lifesaving defibrillator installed at each pub. Having successfully completed this challenge – with 11 lives saved thanks to the outreach – Proper Pubs is now focusing on local foodbanks to support those struggling in the cost-of-living.

Mark Brooke, Managing Director at Proper Pubs, commented: “I am absolutely blown away by the fantastic efforts of our operators in Mansfield and their incredible communities. Choosing to support local foodbanks was a cause close to the hearts of many at Proper Pubs so it’s great to see what an impact we’ve managed to have in such a short time. We’ve always championed community pubs because we believe they are so much more than just a place to drink, but rather social hubs that bring people together and support one another and I think this campaign stands testament to that.

As ever, I’d like to extend my thanks to all our operators and customers who have helped to feed hundreds of families through their donations. I’m really looking forward to seeing how we can make a difference in our local communities this year”.

Proper Pubs is always looking for ways to support its communities through an annual schedule of events and fundraising initiatives from Easter Egg collections to charity walks. In March, Proper Pubs was crowned Community Pub Operator 2024 at the prestigious Publican Awards, and in the lead up to Christmas 2023, Proper Pubs donated 20,000 Christmas selection boxes and other festive treats to local charities.

*On average, one ‘bag for life’ feeds one person for a week

**On average, £20 donated feeds one person for a week