Punch accused over Comic Relief kit

Licensees have accused Punch of turning its nose up at the spirit of Comic Relief by charging its pubs £35 to buy a Red Nose Day kit.

The pub company has teamed up with Comic Relief to offer all of its 7,800 outlets the opportunity to become official Red Nose Day Party Pubs. But licensees who want to raise money for the charity on March 11 have been told they have to pay £35 for an official party kit.

Phil Taylor Jones, who runs the Cannon in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, told The Publican: "I'm not going to buy the kit. It's not good value for money. It's Comic Relief - Punch should put their hands in their pockets not the licensees. They are the ones who will get the publicity for it.

"I've now contacted Comic Relief directly and ordered their free pack which admittedly doesn't contain as much but at least you know all the money is going to Comic Relief."

Brian Whiteley, licensee of the Sarah Mansfield pub in Lutterworth, Leicestershire, said he'd ordered the pack and had been disappointed when it had turned up. "It's rubbish value for money but unfortunately I've already ordered it now."

A spokesman from Punch Taverns said: "In exchange for a modest contribution to cover production and distribution costs, Punch retailers can access an exclusive Red Nose Day support kit.

"The kit is designed specifically for use in pubs and includes everything from external banners and bunting, to posters, collection boxes and T-shirts. That's considerably more than the generic fundraising pack available directly from Comic Relief.

"We're saddened at the suggestion that any money from this exercise comes back to Punch. As a company, we have already pledged to donate a minimum of £25,000 to Comic Relief. We hope that with the support of our licensees we can push that figure higher still."

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Punch Taverns is official partner for Red Nose Day (22 February 2005)