Porlock micro brewery moves one step closer

Porlock Micro Brewery has been successful in the first round of applications for a Coastal Communities Fund (CCF) grant after gaining wide-ranging support.

The West Somerset Council-funded mentoring initiative the Collaborative Business Enterprise project, business start-up charity the Fredericks Foundation and the European Agricultural Fund have all got behind the idea.

Royston Connor, potential owner of the brewery in Porlock Weir, will find out if the full funding application has been successful in January.

He said: “We have recently heard that our initial application was successful, which is really positive news and we are now in the process of making the full application.

“We couldn’t have done it without the guidance and support of our mentor, Roger Hall. He has experience of applying for grants and will be invaluable in helping us with the next stage of the process.

“The funding would help us to set up the micro brewery, which will be run as a community interest company.

“We will employ local people and the business will be a subsidiary of the Porlock Futures Group, which aims to improve the local economy, employment and amenities, so any money we make will be invested back into the community.”

The CCF aims to encourage the development of coastal communities by giving them funding to create sustainable economic growth and jobs.

Roger Hall, the mentor for Porlock Micro Brewery and recently retired IT project delivery manager for a telecommunications company, said: “I think Porlock Micro Brewery will be more than just a business, it will also help to revive the tourism, retail and hospitality sectors within the town, which all play an important role in the economy of the area.”

For more information about the Collaborative Business Enterprise project, visit the website at www.kjelgaard.co.uk/current_projects/business_ mentoring and call 01643-862507 to find out more about Porlock Micro Brewery.