Communities rally around fire-affected businesses

Food and drink businesses have had plenty to deal with in 2020 with the impact of Covid-19, but what happens when you are dealt yet another blow? In May two businesses were hit with fires, forcing both to close temporarily. During these tough times, local communities and the public have provided support to help get these businesses back on their feet.

The Farm Shop at Ombersley closed after a fire on 23rd May. Members of the local community came together and started a Go Fund Me page, which resulted in over £2,000 being raised in donations for owner Brett Wilkinson, his family and employees. More than two months after the event, the popular retailer has rebuilt and officially reopened, with owner Brett telling The Shuttle “I am so proud of my wonderful team and our amazing customers for their hard work and unwavering support during this difficult time.”

Family-run crisp company Corkers Crisps was also hit by fire in the same month. Media outlets reported that the blaze broke out at the factory premises near Ely on the 30th. The brand praised the help received on a Facebook post, stating, “We have had some time now to pick ourselves up and review our losses, and more importantly, see what we still have. What we find is that we have an incredibly resilient and caring team at Corkers and that we have a huge amount of support from our local and the wider community.

We thank you all; friends and family, neighbours, locals, customers, suppliers and colleagues. Thank you for your sympathy and your kind offers of help. But mostly, thank you for saying that you will buy Corkers when we resume frying again. It’s going to be a lot of hard work for us to get back to where we were before, but with your help we can do it.”