Step inside The Brewery in Sileby, Leicestershire, and you’ll find more than great coffee. You’ll find laughter over baby showers, creativity flowing in craft workshops, and the buzz of a community brought together under one roof – or rather, under a giant stretch tent at the back of the café.
The company is owned by Sarah Ward, whose career path hasn’t been a straight line, but rather a vibrant tapestry of creative and people-focused roles. “I studied BA Honours in Illustration before qualifying as a secondary art teacher through the Graduate Teacher Programme,” she explains. “I spent nine years teaching before moving into running my own coffee shop – something I’ve now been doing for nearly a decade.”
Today, The Brewery is more than just a place to grab a cappuccino. “We’re an independent coffee shop, but we also host private hire events and community workshops,” Sarah says. “It’s become a space where people can gather for everything from baby showers to pop-up restaurants.”
That expansion into events was made possible with the help of an interest-free loan from The Sir Thomas White Loan Charity (STWLC) – though, as Sarah recalls, finding out about the Charity was a stroke of luck. “I first heard about STWLC from two female business owners I know,” she says. “They’d heard of the Charity and told me it might be something worth looking into.”
Once she decided to apply, the clock was ticking. “The application process was stressful because I had such a tight deadline – I think I had only about three days to complete it before the cut-off. If I’d missed it, I would’ve had to wait three months, and that would’ve been too late for the work I needed to do,” she recalls.
“Without the Charity, we wouldn’t have been able to make these improvements.”
“But Sarah Hope at STWLC was fantastic – incredibly helpful. I had numerous phone conversations with her when I was stuck or had questions, and she was instrumental in helping me get it done in time.”
The interview process brought its own nerves. “Like any interview, there’s that natural anxiety in the build-up,” Sarah admits. “But the Trustees were all lovely and really put my mind at ease once I was in the room.”
When the loan was approved, Sarah knew exactly where the money was going. The coffee shop already had a large garden space at the back, but she wanted to transform it into something special. “We put down Astroturf and installed a huge stretch tent to give the area permanent cover,” she explains. “Now, not only can we host private hire events like hen parties, weddings, and birthday celebrations, but we can also run more community workshops.”
The result has been a win-win: a boost for Sarah’s business and for other local entrepreneurs. “We’ve had everything from glass fusion and reptile meet-and-greets to slime-making workshops for kids,” she says. “It supports other small businesses in the area while giving the community something fun and engaging to do. And it’s brought in a whole new customer base for us.”
The numbers speak for themselves – the new covered space can seat an extra 70 people, and Sarah says it’s transformed their summer trade. “Without the Charity, we wouldn’t have been able to make these improvements,” she says. “It’s created a really unique space that’s made us incredibly busy this summer. I’d absolutely recommend STWLC to others – in fact, I already have on a few business Facebook groups.”
The Brewery can be found at 22 High St, Sileby, Leicestershire, LE12 7RX and you can visit their Instagram and Facebook pages to see more.
For further information on our interest-free business loans, which are available up to £20,000, please click the button below.
Our next application deadline is 3:30pm on Wednesday 1st October 2025.
