The Batemans family at the launch of the Big Week with Ges Roulstone, chief executive of Linkage Community Trust
Batemans has announced that it has raised nearly £60,000 for eight worthy causes throughout 2015, thanks to the generosity and time given by the brewery and its pubs.
Batemans supported both local and national charities throughout 2015, a highlight of which was the first Big Week which took place from May 25 to 31. This raised £10,629 for local Lincolnshire learning disability charity, Linkage Community Trust, and 52 of the Batemans pubs took part, with events held in both the pubs and at the head office. The week was launched at the brewery’s visitor centre with a beer festival opening attended by the chief executive of Linkage, Ges Roulstone.
A standout event of the Big Week was a Human Jukebox night held at the Napoleon, in Boston, where customers paid for a song of their choice to be sung by a live musician — if other customers did not like their choice of song they could pay for it to be stopped. Other activities included car washes, pet shows and auctions.
Marketing director of Batemans, Jaclyn Bateman, completed the Moonwalk in London and raised an impressive £623.96 for Breast Cancer Research. This is the third Moonwalk Jaclyn has completed, alongside a 100km walk, generating both money and awareness for the charity. In addition, five Batemans pubs also took part in the Macmillan Coffee Morning on September 25, with each pub making and selling coffee and cakes to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.
Batemans tenants Rob and Mel Wild, from the Red Lion in Mumby, have taken part in a number of charity events, including the Christmas Jumper day on behalf of the Text Santa campaign. Rob said: “At the Red Lion we have taken part in the Macmillan Coffee Morning, we did a Coffee Morning for Children in Need and completed another one for Christmas Jumper Day. On the evening of Christmas Jumper Day we had a live band, and encouraged our customers to come in their jumpers. Our charity events have always been so popular, the locals love coming along, and we are so happy that we can use the pub to help raise money for great causes.”
Further charity activity undertaken by Batemans pubs has included events on November 13 for Children in Need. In the same month, many of the Bateman’s pubs, alongside the brewery team, supported the Poppy Appeal, raising money for the Royal British Legion. The brewery team has also raised money internally for both Lennox Children’s Cancer Fund, which supports children suffering from cancer and their families, as well as local organisation Boston Butterfly Hospice.
On December 18 pubs across the Batemans estate took part in Christmas Jumper Day, raising money for charities of their choice. Customers coming into the pubs were encouraged to wear their Christmas jumpers and make a donation to the pub’s chosen cause. Meanwhile, the Batemans head office also took part in Christmas Jumper day, with the proceeds going to the Text Santa charity initiative, which supports a range of UK-based charities.
Jaclyn Bateman said: “I am incredibly proud of both our brewery team and our pubs for their dedication to raising money for such a variety of good causes throughout 2015.
“We are thrilled with the huge amount we have raised for great charities, such as Linkage Community Trust, that support hundreds of people across the community, and indeed nationwide. It is hugely important for Batemans to raise money for charities and get involved in local initiatives, as well as encouraging our landlords, tenants and customers to donate to worthwhile causes. We are looking forward to continuing our fundraising efforts into 2016.”
