Faversham-based brewer and pub company, Shepherd Neame has pledged £20k to kickstart a fundraising effort to support the people of Ukraine.
The independent family company will be donating the money to the British Red Cross’s DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, and has also launched a Just Giving campaign for the appeal which it is promoting across its pub and hotel estate to raise awareness and encourage customer donations.
A number of Shepherd Neame’s pubs are also undertaking individual efforts to support the people of Ukraine, collecting supplies and raising funds.
These include licensee Natasha Hartfield of the Flying Horse, Smarden, who held a cupcake sale at the weekend which raised £600, and licensees Martin and Sara Apps of The Bull Inn, Faversham, who are collecting donations for Ukrainian refugees.
Team members at the brewery are also being offered the opportunity to take paid time off work to volunteer to help Faversham-based company Ideaworks which is co-ordinating the collection and delivery of emergency supplies.
As part of its efforts to support the people of Ukraine, Shepherd Neame has stopped exporting beer to Russia, and is not stocking any Russian products across its estate.
Chief Executive Jonathan Neame said, “We are deeply saddened by the terrible events in Ukraine, and our thoughts are with everyone affected. It is important we all do something to support the people of Ukraine at this difficult time, which is why we decided to kickstart this fundraising campaign across our business.
'We are proud to see the individual efforts being undertaken by our pub teams, and would like to thank our customers for their generous support.”