Punch sleeps outdoors for homeless charity
Punch Pubs & Co became the first hospitality business to join forces with Only A Pavement Away.
A team of 35 pub employees spent the night in a rainy car park in March, helping to raise funds for homeless charity Only A Pavement Away.
Punch Pubs & Co became the first hospitality business to join forces with the charity, hosting a company sleepout event to raise money which will directly support people getting back into work.
The 'Sleep Out to Help Out' event was held in the car park and beer garden of one of Punch's management partnerships pubs, The Griffins Head in Nottingham.
On Monday 11 March, colleagues from across the Punch business, including their entire executive team, teamed up with Only A Pavement Away founder and CEO Greg Mangham to settle outside and sleep without shelter.
Despite the rain, all participants made it through the night and raised £6,000 for the charity, with donations still coming in.
Unacceptable degree of inhumanity
"I'm incredibly proud of the funds we have raised to support the invaluable work Greg and his team at Only A Pavement Away Pavement Away do for those who have fallen on hard times," says Punch Pubs & Co CEO Clive Chesser.
"It was humbling for us to experience the feeling of sleeping without shelter, but it is only a fraction of what so many people endure night after night. For us, this was one rainy night in March, knowing we had the privilege and luxury of having a home to go to. It reinforced to us all the unacceptable degree of inhumanity of homelessness, particularly in 2024. However, the work of Ony A Pavement Away reminds us that this is a vicious cycle which can be broken with the right intervention. By spending this night outside, I know that we were able to make a real difference to others as the funds raised go straight to the grants which the charity offers."
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