Spirit Pub Company raised £43,000 for Prostate Cancer UK from a special initiative during this summer’s football World Cup.
The Men United v Prostate Cancer campaign involved 400 Spirit pubs. They were tasked with maximising the fundraising during this year’s World Cup and help promote the charity’s message to its target audience.
Former footballer and current sports pundit Mark Bright attended a celebration of the achievement at Spirit’s Maple Leaf in London’s Covent Garden, where he congratulated the pub’s general manager Jessica Craven on being the top fundraiser for the company after her team collected more than £1,700 for the charity.
Bright said: “I had a really good time meeting some super people who make such an effort to help others. I am proud to be a Prostate Cancer UK ambassador, but in some ways that part is easy - we just turn up to say thank you. This is an amazing amount of money raised by individual pubs and the Spirit group as a whole - I take my hat off to them.”
Spirit operations manager Donny McIntyre said: “Our pubs have done us proud! The figures are astounding and they are still growing; we hope to total £50,000 once the final collections are in.
“Our pubs were a hot spot for men of all ages this summer as they came together to enjoy the all-important games. This provided us with a great opportunity to continue our support for Prostate Cancer UK and help promote their Men United campaign.”
Mark Bishop, director of fundraising at Prostate Cancer UK, said: “We’re delighted that Spirit Pubs has raised such a phenomenal amount for Prostate Cancer UK. We are currently engaged in our high profile campaign, Men United v Prostate Cancer, which aims to build a united front of men fighting against the disease. By raising funds Spirit are joining the team and helping more men survive prostate cancer and enjoy a better quality of life. We thank everyone involved in this fantastic achievement.”
