The Telegraph Serves up 500 Casks of "Telegraph Ale" for National Pub Day Push

May. 15, 2026

The Telegraph is taking its “Save Our Pubs” campaign nationwide with Bountiful Cow in a multi-channel activation culminating in the distribution of 500 casks of ‘Telegraph Ale’ and free pints at over 250 pubs across the UK for readers on National Pub Day, 16 May.

National Pub Day recognises the pressures facing Britain’s hospitality industry. With an average of four pubs closing every day in 2026, the initiative aims to spotlight the issue while encouraging people back into pubs across the UK. Alongside the free Ale, five pubs across the UK, nominated by the public and selected by The Telegraph’s judging panel, have won a £5,000 drinks tab, for patrons to enjoy on 16 May.

The media strategy follows a two-phase approach: first building awareness around National Pub Day, before driving participation on the day itself. Activity builds ahead of National Pub Day with broadcast outreach, alongside coordinated influencer activity designed to drive footfall.

Influencer activity celebrates the importance of their local pub and a CTA to followers encouraging them to support theirs on 16 May, while live social coverage and user-generated content amplify participation on the day.

National Pub Day will be supported by The Telegraph’s live blog, featuring coverage from pubs across the UK alongside coordinated talent and influencer activity, creating a nationwide moment of engagement.

Adam Foley, CEO at Bountiful Cow, said:

“It's not every day that you find yourself needing to work out how to brew 500 kegs of beer. Pubs are a vitally important part of British society and they are in crisis. The Telegraph have been leading the way with their reporting on this - and so this campaign had to turn that into action. To do that, we needed to go beyond media and beyond advertising - National Pub Day is the result.”

 

William Sitwell, The Telegraph’s restaurant critic and columnist, said:

“Pubs are the centre of communities and a cornerstone of culture. As social hubs, employers and places of fun we cannot underestimate their importance. So as Labour oversees their destruction we must fight back, but in the most British of ways: by having a pint.”

 

Launched in January 2026, The Telegraph’s "Save Our Pubs" campaign chronicles the economic pressures crippling the hospitality industry and celebrates the essential role pubs play in local life.