A CORNISH brewery says it was saved from collapse thanks to the support it received from local people in a Crowdfunder campaign.

Skinner’s Brewery, like many businesses, was badly hit by COVID-19. Pubs, restaurants and hotels account for 70% of the company’s turnover, and with these shut or restricted, as well as its own brewery tours and onsite shop closed, things looked dire.

During the third lockdown in March 2021, Skinners was on the brink of collapse, says owner Steve Skinner. But after a cry for help on Crowdfunder, a survival target of £100,000 was reached in just four days.

This went towards protecting jobs and basic operations to keep things going until hospitality returned to normal.

The cash also enabled the business to start brewing a wider range of beers, improve the website, and employ people to work on online sales.

A follow-on Crowdfunder brought in £50,000 to help build a new outdoor space in Skinner’s home city of Truro.

“All of our staff have had to work harder over the past 12 months and we’re not out of the woods yet,” said Steve Skinner.

“We think it will take us at least three years to get fully back on track and we’ve only been able to do that with Crowdfunder’s help and the support we received from the 2,500 donors.”