Yorkshire Post

Community brewery ale and ‘heartening’

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A NEW community brewery in Yorkshire has been heralded as a “heartening project” as a growing number of social enterprise­s enter the pub trade.

Richmond MP Rishi Sunak officially opened the Northaller­ton Brewing Company in the premises of the former Walls Brewery in North Yorkshire’s county town. The new venture is communityo­wned with 21 beer enthusiast­s involved.

Mr Sunak said: “This is a heartening project. It is great that we have community pubs and now we have a community brewery too.”

Brewery manager Grace Aird, who works with two trainee brewers, two part-time sales and delivery staff and an apprentice administra­tor, said sales had exceeded £40,000 for the first three months. It is hoped sales will reach £300,000 in the first year with 290,000 pints of beer being sold.

The Yorkshire Post reported in December that a succession of co-operatives and communityl­ed companies have taken control of pubs and cafes in Yorkshire.

Figures from The Plunkett Foundation, which promotes social enterprise­s, revealed there are now 44 co-operative pubs in the UK, up from just three in 2010. One of the nation’s most successful co-operatives saw The George and Dragon in Hudswell, near Richmond, rescued through a community buy-out. It was named this month as Camra’s pub of the year.

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