A Well Street pub smashed a fundraising target of £30,000 in just 23 hours after the community it serves came to the rescue during the coronavirus crisis.

The Gun pub was struggling financially due to the lockdown so “life-long” landlords Nick and Hanna Stephens, set up a crowdfunder to help pay mounting bills and make up for lost stock and revenue.

They did not expect the outpouring of support and donations which followed soon after launching the fundraiser on June 10 at 12pm.

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Nick told the Gazette: “We were pretty bowled over by the response really! We didn’t want to do a crowdfunder and we really tried to fight it off.

“I’m not comfortable asking for money especially when there’s so much other stuff going on [with] NHS staff working around the clock and Black Lives Matter but I’m glad we did.

“There’s a lot more love for it out there than I expected.”

Nick says he can’t wait to see his customers again but has some concerns over how and if his businesses, which also include The Compton Arms in Islington, will survive social distancing guidelines for pubs.

He says the pub, which opened in 2014 but was built in about 1860, is the “size of a public loo” and has “never been a big money maker.”

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“We do it because we get a kick out of it. It makes money, just about. I think someone a bit more ruthless would probably just ditch it but we love it – we love everyone that drinks here,” Nick said.

The fundraiser is now closed to donations after raising £37,595.

It reads: “You have blown our minds and our target.”

To find out more about the Gun pub in Well Street visit its Instagram page by clicking here or the pub’s website at http://www.thegunwellstreet.com/

To check out the pub’s fundraiser visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/thegunaid