The Punch Pub Company has challenged over 300 pubs within its managed estate to raise £150,000 for charity this Christmas.  

The pub company launched Operation Christmas Charity earlier this month asking each of its local community pubs to adopt a good cause in the run up to the festive season and raise around £500 through different pub based activities.

Pubs will be tracking their progress on giant thermometers which will measure just how big a Christmas gift they’ll be giving to their local charity.  

Concept Manager, Darryl Pannell, said: “We know that our pubs do a huge amount for local charities every year and our campaign is aimed at bringing these initiatives together. 

“Throughout this year, charities have been reporting that their income is being squeezed and that donations have dropped by as much as 10%. Pubs are crucial local fundraisers and charity events help to put local pubs at the heart of their communities, drive footfall and create awareness. We’re hoping our Christmas campaign will help raise the profile of our pubs and put more focus behind their existing fundraising activities so that over 300 local charities receive a bumper Christmas cheque this year.” 

All of the Punch pubs taking part in Operation Christmas Charity will be asked to post their results on www.pubaid.com. Punch pubs are already the biggest contributor on the site which aims to measure the impact that pubs have on their local communities through fundraising.