London has some of the best pubs anywhere in the world – as we've long been banging on about – and now they need our help more than ever.
While people might not be able to buy a round to support their local, new charity initiative Keep Pubs Pumping is helping to put money back in the pockets of pub landlords and keep some of the most-loved drinking institutions alive during the pandemic.
The group has put together a range of t-shirts and tote bags all featuring designs celebrating boozers in the city, from Angel comedy pub The Bill Murray to the legendary French House in Soho and LGBTQ+ icon The Glory in Haggerston.
The Chesham Arms (Hackney, The Blue Posts (Soho), The Dove (Broadway Market), The Railway Tavern (Dalston), The Running Horse (Mayfair), Spit and Sawdust (Elephant and Castle), Star of Bethnal Green and The Ten Bells (Spitalfields). have all been immortalised in T-shirt form, with all sales going to support the pubs themselves.
Run by Louisa Saddington, Rebecca Bright, Danny Philpot and Josh Taylor-Dadds – in their words, “four Londoners who love (and miss) their pub” – the site has a selection of 13 designs available, each priced at £24. The initiative has already passed its first milestone of £10,000, with plans to add more designs soon.
"Pubs will be some of the last businesses to reopen post-lockdown, and many can’t access government relief schemes," the organisers said.
“It got us thinking we'd love a way to show solidarity with our local favourites whilst closed. The more we spoke to our friends, it became clear they felt the same way. We got in touch with illustrators and designers across the country to create limited edition merch for legendary locals across London."
For more information, head here
