Guinness has announced the establishment of a €1.5 million fund to provide support to communities affected by COVID-19 in Ireland. The fund will see €1.2 million go to supporting bar staff, with a further €300,000 going to elderly vulnerable people through a partnership with ALONE and its Befriending service.
Diageo Ireland country director Oliver Loomes stated, "We have been supporting the licensed trade in the last week through what is an unprecedented period as we all work together to keep people safe through the closure of licensed premises across the country.
"We are announcing an additional support of €1.5 million, including €1.2 million to bar staff, and we will be working with our partners in the trade, the Licensed Vintners Association (LVA) and Vintners' Federation of Ireland (VFI), on how we can support bar staff to maximum effect using this funding in what is a very fast-moving situation."
In addition to its funding of €300,000 for ALONE, Guinness is also asking staff members to pledge time to support the charity's Befriending service.
Wider Initiative
This announcement is part of a wider initiative which will see Guinness and Diageo pledge in the region of €3 million globally to communities and the bar trade, with similar funds in the US and UK. This includes £1 million to support bar tenders in the free trade across Great Britain.
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