Community comes together for pub in Ash after armed robbery
The Lion Brewery had cash stolen on Monday morning by two men with a gun
The community in Ash has come together to raise money for a pub that was robbed at gunpoint earlier this week.
A woman and a man were threatened inside the Lion Brewery on Monday morning.
Cash was stolen and the woman was left with head injuries.
The fundraiser, which was started by Steph Goddard, has already smashed their original target.
Initially they were hoping to raise ÂŁ500 but the total now sits at way over ÂŁ2,000.
Steph Goddard who started the fundraiser wrote on the Just Giving page:
"Mike is the lovely owner who has owned The Lion Brewery for over 40 years. Today there was an armed robbery where Mike and Lyndsey the owners were targetted. The pub has had hard struggles through coronavirus and Mike who is 82 years old has worked so hard to keep it running. He has children and grandchildren and is it tragic that someone could do this to him, especially so close to Christmas. Mike has been so charatible in the past, raising money for a number of charities, let's all please give back and help him through this hard time.
Any donation will be grateful."
You can donate to the fundraiser here.
Police are still appealing for witnesses after the incident.
The suspects are described as white, and were wearing black hats and face masks.
One is thought to be around 5ft 7 tall, while the other is described as around 6ft tall.
Detective Inspector Pete Howgate said: “We appreciate that this will have caused a lot of concern in the local community and we would like to reassure people that we are doing everything we can and pursuing various lines of enquiry to establish who was responsible.
“This appears to have been a pre-planned incident and there was no risk to the wider public.
"We would like to thank everyone affected by the police activity for their patience and cooperation."
An investigation is ongoing and police are appealing for anyone with information to call 101.
You can also call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously via 0800 555 111.