Castle Camps microbrewery grateful for the support of the local business community during the lockdown

A village microbrewery has attributed surviving the coronavirus lockdown to the support it has received from other local businesses.

Roughacre Brewery was started two years in Castle Camps by Sarah Hide and Mark Jackson.

When the lockdown arrived in March they had begun to feel confident about the future and were looking at a move to a bigger premises.

Then came the cancellation or postponement of beer festivals, a major source of revenue for all microbreweries, and consequently the move to a larger premises was cancelled.

Ways then had to be found to get the brewery’s ales out to the market.

Sarah said: “We knew we had to be able to increase out direct sales to our drinking customers but without festivals or pubs or a shop or tap room how was that going to happen.

“Apparently with the help and support of local businesses.”

Case Solves Wines in Linton and the shop at Westrope Motors garage in Steeple Bumpstead both became more proactive in promoting Roughacre’s beers while friends in the village helped to get the word out about the brewery - then there was the creation of social media accounts.

“The local business support with following, sharing and liking has been incredible,” added Sarah.

CAMRA also supported the brewery, said Sarah, by inviting it to a ‘meet the brewery’ online event and sharing its posts and highlighting what it does on its network, resulting in a “real leap in interest and sales”.

Then came the chance to take part in a market for local producers held at The Oak pub in Castle Camps every Saturday from 10.30am to 1pm.

Sarah said: “Lesley Clark (landlady) at The Oak asked us if we would like to set up a pop-up shop every Saturday on their premises which was a fantastic opportunity and has been a great success.

“In fact, as one of our pop-up shop cohort said, ‘it’s busier here than some o the markets out there’.

“With all of these avenues to sell our ale we have survived.”