The Leather Bottle is a famous, historical village pub at the heart of the community. Supported by our brilliant team, Bryan and I have been running the pub for over 10 years. We invested all our life savings into buying the business and making it successful and It was our 10th anniversary here in November 2019 which we celebrated with the whole village, plus our regular customers who travel from other areas.

Sadly, there is a real danger that we could have to cease trading. Due to Covid-19 we were forced to close our doors on 20th March. The promises from the Government about support for businesses in our sector do not apply to us, as they do for the other businesses in Cobham, because the Leather Bottle’s business doesn’t quite meet the criteria for rate relief, nor are we entitled to any grants. The banks, despite Government pressure, do not want to offer loans.

Our income stopped and there is no clear end to the lockdown, but the rent and bills still have to be paid, plus £26,000 in rates.

The government is only paying 80% of our staff’s salaries until the end of May, and they are worried about their jobs. Most have been working here for many years and will be a familiar faces to you.

We all love our jobs and love living here in Cobham. As a last resort and with a heavy heart, we are forced to ask for help to continue trading and keep our staff’s jobs. This isn’t something we ever imagined ourselves having to do. We want so much to reopen and welcome you all back once this is all over. We estimate that a minimum of £10, 000 is needed to keep the business afloat while we’re not trading. We will be so grateful for any contribution, every penny of which will go towards paying the outstanding bills while we are unable to trade, and to support our staff beyond the government furlough scheme. Thank you guys. xxx