Soft drinks giants back regeneration

Britvic and PepsiCo UK are to help pubs forge closer links with their local communities in a nationwide cross-brand initiative to transform neglected green spaces.

Running from February to October, Transform Your Patch will regenerate parks, playgrounds, skate parks and football pitches.

Every soft drink purchased in pubs represents a real 1cm² piece of land to be transformed. To get pub- goers involved, outlets will receive PoS kits consisting of posters and table-talkers.

Britvic has identified around 165 projects of various sizes to be transformed, distributed evenly across the 11 regions of Great Britain. A website will give consumers the opportunity to nominate shortlisted projects for additional funding.

The scheme has been created in partnership with re-generation charity Groundwork and the investment will be matched by local authority funding.

Britvic Soft Drinks GB managing director Simon Litherland said: “Transform Your Patch will help transform the visibility and credibility of our brands in a highly competitive market and, more importantly, it will bring people together, fuelling social change and helping local communities create a lasting legacy.”

Ian Patefield, Britvic customer marketing manager for the licensed trade, added: “Pubs are increasingly looking to become a hub of the local community, and successful pubs are very often the ones that are able to make those links.”