The Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) has shown its support for a North Wales brewers’ call to the industry to take its social responsibility more seriously.
Jonathan Hughes of Great Orme Brewery made the call recently following his decision to use the Chancellor’s recent 1p drop in duty to help reduce the negative effects of alcohol abuse.
Jonathan, supported by the National Association of Children of Alcoholics charity to which he has pledged to donate the difference, is calling on others in the industry to use the duty drop to make a positive contribution to the wider community.
The show of support from SIBA adds weight to this call.
Keith Bott, owner of the Stoke-on-Trent based Titanic Brewery, is chairman of the Society.
He said: “We are hugely supportive of the idea. I think it encapsulates everything that the British brewing industry is about, in particular independent brewers and the way they can support the wider community.
“Every brewer will decide what they do themselves but this is a fantastic idea which illustrates one of the ways in which we can be supportive.“
When he heard about the duty cut, Conwy-based brewer Jonathan saw it as an opportunity to support a charity that helps those affected directly or indirectly by alcohol and, as such, decided to donate the difference from his beer to NACOA.
While he acknowledges that his will be a small contribution in financial terms, he hopes that the move will encourage other breweries – large and small – to follow his example.
He said: “British beer making is in a renaissance, with more small producers offering a wealth of amazing real ales and true regional diversity. We are very proud to be a small part of that diversity. However, I do believe that if we, as a sector, are to be socially responsible then we must acknowledge the potential negative aspects of alcohol and take steps to address it.
“My plan is that rather than pocketing that 1p duty reduction, we donate it to NACOA. I would call on other alcohol producers – big and small – to look at practical ways they can help reduce the effects of alcohol abuse on society.”
Jonathan Hughes founded Great Orme Brewery on his family dairy farm in 2005, when farming operations were being wound down.
Jonathan sealed his pledge at the NACOA awards on June 14 and has agreed to donate the full amount of the annual saving from the duty reduction to the charity.
NACOA is a registered charity founded in 1990 to address the needs of children growing up in families where one or both parents suffer from alcoholism or a similar addictive problem.
It offers information, advice and support to children of alcohol dependent parents.
The charity’s chief executive, Hilary Henriques, MBE, thanked Jonathan for his support and re-iterated his call for others in the industry to take notice.
She said: “Every child deserves to live a creative and meaningful life.
“Sadly, when alcoholism is the family secret, children are more likely to experience difficult situations with family violence, neglect and other problems.
“Most parents don’t choose this for their children – there are underlying problems they do not know how to deal with.
“The Nacoa helpline is funded entirely by voluntary donations and we applaud Jonathan Hughes of the Great Orme Brewery for the 1p Campaign. Every penny will fund our work providing information, advice and support for children struggling with their parents alcohol problems, helping them to cope with difficult challenges, to become psychologically healthy, to experience happiness and to break the cycle of addiction.”
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