Pizza Entrepreneur Offers Charity a Slice of Support
Pizza Entrepreneur Offers Charity a Slice of Support
The founder of artisan pizza company, Barrel & Stone, Russell Hardiman, is launching a Christmas Card to raise funds for the Licensed Trade Charity and support pub, bar and brewery people during their most challenging year.
The pizza brand, which is available through over 300 pubs nationwide, joined forces with greetings card retailer Moonpig, Riverside Printers and Punch Pubs & Co to create the unique Christmas card and fundraising opportunity.
Between January and October this year, the Licensed Trade Charity has helped over 62,000 licensed trade people. The coronavirus pandemic has contributed to an increase in visits to its website (256%) and calls to its helpline (up by 156%) for support in the twelve months leading up to October 2020, with a particular spikes between March and June, as the reality of the coronavirus hit.
The cards feature a design by illustrator, Paul Ward Smith as a sign of hope for the industry.
Moonpig will donate 10% of the net sales of this personalised card, and an additional £1 per card will be donated by customers (built into the total retail price), both of which will go directly to support the Licensed Trade Charity’s work with pub, bar and brewery people. Anyone wishing to buy larger quantities of the card can do so through Riverside Printers, which will be selling a pack of ten cards for £15, with £1 from every pack going to the Charity.
Punch Pubs & Co has pledged an initial order for 1,500 cards, which it will be sending as a message of cheer to its employees and nationwide network of pubs.
Commenting on the cards, Russell Hardiman, founder of Barrel and Stone, said; “The impact of coronavirus on the people who work in the pub, bar and brewery industry is a major concern for Barrel and Stone. The Licensed Trade Charity is key to supporting the people who are the backbone of our lively pub and bar industry. Now more than ever, the industry faces its most challenging period, and our card has been designed to help pubgoers and businesses associated with the trade to raise funds to support these incredible people.
“With the easing of lockdown the Barrel and Stone concept enables hundreds of pubs in Tier 2 to trade, as we provide them with an easy way to offer a substantial meal to their guests, and we are currently opening 25 sites a month.”
Carolyn Jenkinson, Head of Services at the Licensed Trade Charity, added; “This year has seen unprecedented demand for our services and we’re delighted that Barrel & Stone has created this initiative to help us support even more people.
“We’ve seen particular demand for emotional and financial support, and more recently, callers have been increasingly worried about the number of job losses within the industry and the future of their positions. We’ve responded by expanding our outplacement support, which now includes job coaching and online courses on dealing with change, to help job seekers remain mentally resilient in the face of redundancy.”
To show your support, you can place an order for individual personalised cards via Moonpig here – https://www.moonpig.com/uk/customise/product/hcc001/1/ . For personalised packs of ten cards order direct from Riverside Printing – https://www.riversideprinters.co.uk/print/christmas-cards/ltc/.
To find out more about Licensed Trade Charity and the support that it offers please visit https://www.licensedtradecharity.org.uk/ or call the 24/7 helpline on 0808 801 0550. To make a direct donation, please visit https://www.licensedtradecharity.org.uk/donate/
