News & Updates
Winning together: giving people the chance to Excel
11th August 2026
As part of Marston’s Values Month, our pubs and Pub Support Centre colleagues are showing what Win Together means in practice by looking beyond assumptions, opening the door to opportunity and helping people build a future they didn't think was possible.
Through Marston’s Excel prison leavers scheme, general managers and their teams are not only filling recruitment gaps in their pubs... they're helping people take meaningful steps into work, gain confidence and develop careers in hospitality. It's a second chance for someone to prove what they can do - and for our pubs to benefit from their commitment, skills and determination.
More than 90 Excel graduates now work across Marston’s pubs. The programme is supported by three hospitality academies: the Lock Inn at HMP Liverpool, the Crown & Key at HMP Stoke Heath, and the Hope & Anchor at HMP Styal - the UK's first commercially-led hospitality academy inside a women's prison, training up to 32 women a year for Line Chef roles. Over the next year, Marston’s aims to increase the number of prison leaver graduates employed across our pubs by 25%.
For Martin Jones, General Manager at the Spread Eagle in Gailey, it starts with recognising that one bad decision should not define someone’s whole life.
“Sometimes it’s just one mistake they’ve made,” Martin says. “Do we tar everyone with the same brush because of one mistake in their life? It’s about giving people a chance and helping them move on with their lives.”
As part of the Excel project, Martin has visited prisons to speak to people in custody and, when a chef vacancy came up at his pub, he saw an opportunity to put that belief into action.
The Excel colleague who joined the Spread Eagle quickly became a valued part of the kitchen team. With support from Martin, his kitchen manager and regular check-ins, she progressed into a second-chef role and is now training towards becoming a head chef.
“It’s not just coming here, doing a few hours and passing the time,” Martin says. “It’s a career for that person.”
That progression matters not only for the individual, but for the whole pub. Martin has seen how people who are given trust and support can bring real drive to a team.
“She’s just another person in our team,” he says. “She’s no different to anyone else.”
At The Clock Warehouse in Shardlow, General Manager Loretta Pickering has seen the same impact. She first heard about Excel in 2022 and immediately felt it was something her team could get behind.
“I always feel like everybody makes mistakes,” Loretta says. “There’s always an opportunity to rectify it. All it takes is somebody to give them a chance and they’ll really push for being better in themselves.”
Loretta admits she was unsure what to expect at first, but the recruitment process soon felt like any other by meeting candidates, discussing their experience and understanding what they wanted from the opportunity.
“What stood out was their willingness to work, learn and move forward,” said Loretta.
Once they joined the pub, the priority was simple: make them part of the team from day one.
“They got their uniform, they got paid the same as everybody else, treated the same as everybody else, it was then just a matter of guiding them and watching them grow,” Loretta says.
One colleague initially arrived feeling nervous and reserved, but his confidence grew as he settled into the team. He worked, learned, laughed with colleagues and began to see a clear path ahead. At the end of his placement, the pub was able to offer him a full-time role.
That sense of opportunity is also central to general manager Stephen Shervill’s experience. Having supported five prison leavers through Excel across three pubs, Stephen has seen how far people can go when they are met with belief rather than judgement.
“People are very, very quick to judge rather than give an opportunity and give a chance,” Stephen says. “Some of the best people I’ve worked with in the company have been part of this project.”
He has seen colleagues grow in confidence, develop their skills and take significant steps to shape a different future. One former bar team member even progressed to become a general manager, while another moved across the country to focus on a fresh start.
Across all three managers’ experiences, the message is clear: taking a second chance on someone - and seeing the value they add to our pubs, teams and communities - is how we can all Win Together.