Heineken announces new charity partner

Heineken UK has announced that the Marmalade Trust is its new official charity partner. 

The charity behind Loneliness Awareness Week, which took place mid-June, is one of the UK’s leading loneliness charities dedicated to raising awareness of loneliness and helping people to make more social connections.

Despite the prevalence of loneliness in communities, the brewer says people are in fact longing for more moments of social interaction, with 45% of Brits say they would like to go on more nights out but that they don’t get many invites.

The new partnership between Heineken UK and Marmalade Trust will see them work together on a number of initiatives, including introducing loneliness awareness staff training within both organisations and raising awareness of the charity and its work through the Star Pubs & Bars estate and the wider hospitality industry, which is well placed to support social connections.

Star pubs wanting to get behind the charity will have access to free point-of-sale kits including double sided beer mats, conversation starter topics and a fundraising QR code that customers can scan to donate directly to Marmalade Trust. 

"Most of us experience loneliness at some point in our lives, but [our] study shows almost half of us experience it on a weekly if not daily basis," says Lawson Mountstevens, managing director of Star Pubs & Bars at Heineken UK (pictured above with Amy Perrin, founder of Marmalade Trust). "While it’s nothing to be ashamed of, it’s something that we need to talk about and address. Social connections are key to helping people who are experiencing feelings of loneliness. Pubs are at the heart of communities. They are places where we can meet family and friends, make new connections, laugh, share problems, and build bonds with people over a cider or beer. Partnering with Marmalade Trust is a natural fit for us – we’re going to work together with them to build a more connected world."

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