Industry-leading pub company Punch Pubs & Co. has successfully completed another clean-up campaign as part of its ongoing commitment to protecting people, the planet, and its pubs.
Building on two successful clean-ups in 2024 and a local litter pick at its Head Office this March, recovering a staggering 186kg of litter, Punch once again partnered with Biffa and Molson Coors to remove litter from Scout Scar in the Lake District, helping to preserve the area for future generations.
The event, which took place on Wednesday (the 7th of May), supports Punch’s core value, Doing Well, by Doing Good, which underpins everything the business sets its heart on.
Punch CEO Andy Spencer and other members of the Executive Team took part.
Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles are integrated throughout the business, as it strives to involve its employees, Publicans, Management Partners (MPs), and suppliers in making it and, in turn, its businesses more ethical and environmentally friendly.
Ramping up the activity within this space, Punch also has community cleans planned this year at Stapenhill Gardens in Burton on Trent (Burton in Bloom), and at Cannock Chase.
Punch Pubs’ Strategic Corporate Affairs & ESG Lead, Jon Dale, who has been instrumental in organising the events, said: “We are amazed by the incredible efforts of our Punch people, suppliers, volunteers, and community members who show up to these events and help us drive meaningful change. This event wouldn’t have been possible without their unwavering support, and I want to extend a huge thank you to everyone who took part and made this happen.
“We’re incredibly proud to be making significant strides in our Doing Well, by Doing Good value, which is truly setting us apart and further reinforcing our commitment to protect our three Ps: People, Planet, and Pubs.”
In their joint attempt to recover waste from the National Park, participants collected a combined 48kg of litter, which has since been placed into Biffa’s respected commodity markets.
Nathan Leadbeater, Visitor Services Supervisor for Lake District National Park, added: “It’s great to see this fantastic collective effort from the Punch team to keep the Lake District National Park clean and litter-free.
“The majority of people who enjoy the Lake District treat it respectfully, however, with 19 million visitors a year we do continue to see litter across the Park. This doesn’t just impact the beautiful views but also harms the fragile environment.
“We all play an important role in reducing littering by being Lake District Kind and looking after our unique landscape. This includes taking litter and dog poo bags away and leaving nothing but footprints behind.
“We ask anyone enjoying the Lake District to treat our home like it’s your home, and please bin litter or take it with you.”
Following the litter clean, participants gathered for food and drinks at the Duke of Cumberland pub in Kendal, run by Punch Publicans Josh Macaulay and Chris Moss. Josh is also a key player in the business’s Pub Heroes working group; a forum of Publicans and MPs who come together with different people from across the Punch business to explore their collective thoughts and ideas on their commitment to Doing Well, by Doing Good and building stronger relationships as they go.
Punch hopes to inspire more pubs to join their community clean initiative, protecting the environment and creating a sustainable world for future generations.
Photographs: courtesy of Punch Pubs & Co and Mia Otway