Hucknall business The Copper Pantry looking to raise money to afford its own premises in the town

A Hucknall businesswoman is looking to raise enough money to move her business from home into permanent premises just off the High Street.

Alison Wheeldon started The Copper Pantry, a company that offers afternoon teas, graze boxes as well as catering for events, in September 2020. She is hoping that by launching a 'gofundme' page she can raise enough money to be able to afford a premises and turn it into a tearoom.

On the page, under the 'How can you help?' caption it reads: "We have done so well so far, but we are at the stage that we need premises and staff to cope with demand. We often have to turn away business, the demand is that high, and it's not feasible or practical to take on staff to work from our home, especially due to us having children."

Ms Wheeldon is using 'gofundme' as she believes if her business were to continue to progress at its current rate, it would take another two or three years before she was in a position to secure premises.

Speaking exclusively to Nub News about the possibility of having premises for the business, Ms Wheeldon said: "It would mean the world! We've worked so hard during the pandemic, I left my job to put my all into this, the support we've already had from the local community has been fantastic, to be able to raise the money to get premises would be amazing. We wanted to do something positive, to be able to support us as a household and offer something nice for local people to enjoy."

When asked how The Copper Pantry having its own premises would benefit the business as well as the community in Hucknall, Ms Wheeldon added: "Having worked in hospitality for the past ten years, I've got so used to seeing different people every day. I love the social aspect we could incorporate into the business moving forward. Getting premises so we can expand and fulfil more orders/ cater for more people than we currently do is our first step with hope of then expanding to offer a tearoom style service and possibly themed days/evenings. I know there are already plenty of successful food outlets/businesses in Hucknall but we would like to offer something just that little bit different."

If you would like to donate then please visit The Copper Pantry's 'gofundme' page which can be found here .