Yorkshire businesses turn to Crowdfunders to ensure post-coronavirus survival

In Ilkley, customers at The Flying Duck and Wharfedale Brewery have pledged more than £4,000 on Crowdfunder, keen to get their hands on a pint of local brew once they are able.

The response has stunned operations director Gerard Simpson, who said the show of confidence was heartening. The business has received support from the Government that has enabled them to furlough staff, but it has still been met by escalating costs, including almost £12,000 spent buying back untapped beer from pubs supplied by the brewery.

Mr Simpson said by pledging cash for a bar tab, customers were helping to secure the future of the business beyond this “unusual and unpredictable time”.

He said: “We set it up before we knew the Government was going to flash the cash, as we had bills to pay and staff who needed their wages. The response has been great.

“Since we opened around six years ago, our customers have had confidence in us, but this shows that all our hard work has been worthwhile and people really will support us when we need it.

“Even so, the dedication and loyalty has come as a bit of a surprise at a really uncertain time.”

Across the UK, businesses like the Flying Duck have raised more than £3m using Crowdfunder’s Pay It Forward scheme, which allows small businesses to pre-sell goods and services or adapt their business to find new ways of working.

Crowdfunder chief executive Rob Love said: “Maintaining cash flow and staying connected to their customer base is vital for our small businesses to bounce back quickly once this is all over."

Pubs and restaurants that have diversified make up a big proportion of the Pay It Forward campaigns on Crowdfunder. Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) chairman Nick Antona said it was a way “to keep money coming in and pay the bills.

He added: "If people are there to support their local pubs it's a great initiative - and it really goes to show how much we love our pubs."

Elsewhere, £350 has been raised on a Crowdfunder set up by Leeds cafe and bar Residence 74, on Otley Old Road, which aims to give staff “a sense of security and will ensure the cafe bar is in the best position to continue looking after our beloved team once the government has advised to do so”.

In Keighley, almost £300 has been raised by the Cricketers Arms, in a crowdfunder that it said “could make or break whether we are able to reopen”.

But it’s not just hospitality.

Aire Place Studios launched a crowdfunder to raise £5,000 to help it survive over the next three months.

The artists’ studios and events space had to cancel workshops, exhibitions and events when it closed, but will still have to pay rent and bills.

Its Crowdfunder site is offering rewards for different tiers of donations, from a handmade card for £1, to a singing lesson for £20 and an original piece of art for £250 - and has raised almost £3,500.

Board member Chloe Kutkus Morton, a freelance artist who is based at the studios, said: “For people to have raised so much money for us shows that people really do care, which is so heartening.

“We have not been eligible for rents or rate relief, and even before this crisis we were struggling, so it is a tough position to be in. At a time when people are being bombarded with charity appeals, and are struggling themselves, it is fantastic to have this show of support.”