Joule’s Brewery and Drayton Civic Society have taken a major step forward in their relationship with the signing of a 50-year lease agreement.
Anna Brakel (centre), Joule’s Brewery’s development director, with Drayton Civic Society’s honorary secretary Andrew Brown and chairman Carole Higgins
The charity will move its museum and headquarters to a bespoke-built ground floor space at the Stag at the brewery.
The Stag has been re-imagined as a purpose-built events space. Its refurbishment has taken place alongside work at the flagship brewery tap, The Red Lion, both due to be completed by the summer.
“Drayton Civic Society members are enthusiastically in support of this wonderful opportunity to relocate our museum and create a showpiece for the town, given to us by Joules Brewery,” said society chairman Carole Higgins.
“This is a major undertaking for our small charity, and signing the lease is just the first step to achieving the dream.”
The society is being charged a peppercorn £1 rent. It is now fundraising to carry out work at its new home, fundraising which has got under way with a £1,000 donation from Joule’s Brewery.
“As a Grove School [Market Drayton] graduate, it means a lot to me that we can invest in our hometown,” said Anna Brakel, Joule’s development director.
“The addition of the museum to our developed brewery courtyard will add another dimension, and of course some prestige for us to be in partnership with the society.
“We want to see the society thrive and continue the cultural contribution they make to our town. We hope we can really help to promote the society which, in turn, will of course shine a light on the brewery. It’s a win-win which is what a good partnership is all about.”
