Royal Wootton Bassett's busiest pub receives £60,000 funding to help navigate Covid-19

The Sally Pussey Inn at Royal Wootton Bassett near Swindon, one of the town's most successful pubs in normal times, has received a £60,000 SWIG Finance loan to support its business continuity during the Coronavirus pandemic.

The pub, which employs 32 local people, has a popular restaurant and function rooms for special events. Like the rest of the hospitality sector, it had to close its doors in March in accordance with government advice.

The loan, supported by Triodos Bank and the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), will help to future-proof the business by helping to cover core costs while the business closed, and allow for some premises upgrading ahead of the current lockdown measures being lifted.

SWIG Finance Business Manager, Rachel Thomson, said “The business had been experiencing solid trading prior to COVID-19, and so we were delighted to be able to support them by providing funding to cover costs during the pandemic”.

Business Owner, Robert Goves, said “We are grateful for the support from SWIG Finance. The communication from our Business Manager, Rachel, was superb and she expertly guided us through the process enabling us to secure the loan very swiftly”.

Matt Boggan, senior relationship manager at Triodos Bank UK, who provided a loan to SWIG to support funding such as this, added: “We’re proud to be supporting SWIG, alongside another likeminded organisations. Its aim to make finance more accessible and inclusive aligns closely with our own values.”