Thursday July 16: The house of funds!

It's always been the great unknown in the pub trade.

Whenever pubs come in for criticism from the press and politicians, the response from within the trade has always been: if only we could put our finger on how much pubs raise for charity.

This is what we are trying to do on the Thursday of Proud of Pubs Week.

Not only to encourage pubs to put on their own fundraising events - so many pubs do this anyway. But also to get your fundraising registered we can help build up the national picture of what pubs do for charity every day of the year.

Head start​

Pub companies and Pub Aid - the trade's new initiative aiming to promote the charitable face of pubs - have already given us a head start, helping inform the PR message around Proud of Pubs Week. But we want to know more.

A survey carried out for Proud of Pubs Week by Marston's Pub Company - the tenanted and leased arm - offers a fantastic snapshot of the contribution that pubs and pub companies are making to charity in 2009 - even in the midst of the recession.

A total of 566 of the estate's 1,750 pubs responded, claiming they had raised just under £1m (£959,163) over the past year, with amounts of up to £20,000. Taken over the whole estate the average over the last 12 months was £2,000. (WILL CHECK THESE FIGURES!)

Charles Wells Pub Company meanwhile knows of pubs across its 250-strong estate which have raised £75,000 for different charities over the past 12 months - and with £20,000 being added by the pub company through its Eagle Aid scheme that's also one hell of a contribution.

The pubco also points out its pubs carry out an array of charitable activities that may not raise hard cash, but give just as much back to the community - such as delivering meals to infirm customers and sending shoe boxes crammed with gifts for serving armed forces and children in poorer countries.

Get inspired​

But the best facts and figures come from individual pubs. If you're looking for a bit of inspiration for the next fundraising exercise in your own pub, look no further than the White Horse in Epsom, Surrey.

Licensee Ben Walters says the Punch taverns lease has raised more than £250,000 for charity over the past year - in a variety of unusual ways, including:

• Holding a fancy dress "ale race" with teams competing to race a pram containing a barrel of ale around local streets - raising £350 for the Huntingdon's Disease Association (HDA)

• Teaming up with a local car dealer to host a prize draw with the top prize of a brand new car - raising £1,100, again for the for the HDA

• Hosting ferret racing in the beer garden to raise money for the local Wildlife Aid charity and a nearby school whose library was ruined in a flood.

Register your own charitable fundraising with The Publican today - and help us build the positive story about pubs.

Scaling new heights for charity​

Staff and customers at the Brant Inn in Groby, Leicestershire were scaling new heights to raise money for a local children's charity this weekend.

Everards pub manager Martin Raynor and customers Mark Briggs and Christopher Scargill the team were climbing Britain's highest mountain Ben Nevis on Saturday (July 3).

And before setting off they had already managed to collect an impressive £1,400 for the Glenfield Project, which provides respite care to children with disabilities and special health care needs.

Martin said: "We were talking in the pub about how we could support the Glenfield Project because it's such a worthy local cause. The guys agreed they wanted a challenge so I suggested climbing Ben Nevis.

"We will show DVD footage and photographs from the climb at a special presentation evening at the pub later this month. Project staff have been invited to come along and talk to everyone who has sponsored us about the fantastic work they do supporting local families in need."