Shepherd Neame has named Air Ambulance Charity Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS) as its new charity of the year.
Shepherd Neame chief executive, Jonathan Neame, with air ambulance pilot Capt Bill Thomson
KSS is the local air ambulance charity for Kent, Surrey, and Sussex. Its helicopters are flying emergency rooms for millions of people around the clock, all year.
It is Shepherd Neame’s fifth charity of the year partnership, following the relaunch of its Sheps Giving charitable arm in 2018.
The Sheps Giving Committee, which oversees Shepherd Neame’s charity initiatives and donations, will be working closely with KSS to organise fundraising and promotional activities at the Faversham brewery and across its 300-strong pub and hotel estate throughout the next 12 months.
These will include a pledge to donate 50p from every Kids’ Meal Deal sold on its Menu for Minis to KSS. Working with the charity Pennies, the digital charity box, Shepherd Neame will also be inviting customers drinking and dining at selected pubs to make a 25p donation when they spend over £25 by card. Every penny given goes to charity: 90% to KSS and 10% to Pennies.
Shepherd Neame has already got its fundraising for KSS off to a great start. Twenty-two team members, including chief executive Jonathan Neame, took part in the recent Lake District Ultra Challenge. Setting off from Kendal, they ran, walked, and jogged 100km, 50km or 25km, raising almost £8,000.
During the partnership, KSS will be helping to organise education and prevention-focused activities in Shepherd Neame pubs and hotels. This will include activities such as CPR awareness training, helping to create more lifesavers in communities across the region. There will also be quiz and bingo nights.
“When choosing our new charity of the tear partner for 2024/25, we wanted to work with an organisation that really makes a difference to the communities we serve, and KSS does just that,” said Jonathan Neame.
“When I recently visited their Redhill site to meet chief executive David Welch and his team, I was incredibly impressed by their passion, skill, and dedication.
“Every pound that Shepherd Neame donates to this fantastic charity will literally help their team to save more lives, so we will be doing everything we can to raise as much money for them as possible. We are really looking forward to working with KSS during the coming year.”
David Welch added: “We are delighted and extremely proud to be partnering with Shepherd Neame, a highly successful, locally-based business that shares in our values and proudly supports the communities we both serve.
“We’re looking forward to working closely together to raise vital awareness and funds for our lifesaving work, as well as helping to equip and train Shepherd Neame employees and customers with skills such as CPR so that together we can save even more lives.
“It costs over £51,000 per day to operate our lifesaving service, and as a charity we can only keep flying and saving lives thanks to the generosity of people right across Kent, Surrey and Sussex.
“We are incredibly grateful to Shepherd Neame for supporting KSS and we’re looking forward to working with everyone at the company and its customers over the coming year.”
