MERKUR Initiative, which has been created by the high street gaming entertainment operator to recognise the smaller community-based charities and good causes that frequently get overlooked, is being trialled across ten high street venues with the first awards scheduled to be announced by the middle of the month. The experience gained from the pilot will be fed back into a phased national roll-out which will follow almost immediately.

Lola Wood, MERKUR UK’s Customer Experience Manager believes both the MERKUR Slots and MERKUR Bingo brands play a key role in their communities. She stated: “Most people will immediately associate Bingo Clubs with the term ‘Community’ but the same also applies to our 180 high street entertainment venues located in towns and cities throughout Great Britain.

“These are the places where friends meet and socialise in safe and familiar surroundings and where the staff will greet them by their first name. MERKUR Initiative builds on the profound connections that exist between venue and community by identifying those local ‘not for profit’ groups that quite frequently go unnoticed but quietly get on doing outstanding work in the community.”

“MERKUR Initiative will draw on the insight and local knowledge of staff who are being asked to nominate the good causes they want to support. Money raised through the venues will then be pooled nationally with head office contributing to the final donation.”

MERKUR UK is hoping to identify the local heroes and groups that are the lifeblood of so many communities. Lola Wood explained: “The awards that we will be making through MERKUR Initiative will help those that go the extra mile to continue to do the fantastic work that keeps communities together. I’m looking forward to meeting those local heroes and recognising them for what they do in the MERKUR UK communities that we are so proud to be a part of.”