A gin distillery which is making hand sanitiser amid a fall in demand for spirits has launched a fundraising appeal.

Greensand Ridge in Shipbourne near Tonbridge has already been producing the sought-after product for two weeks as demand has soared during the coronavirus outbreak.

So far most of the sanitiser has been sold to retailers, with the distillery gifting one in every 10 bottles made to hospices, residential homes, nurses and the police.

Now a crowdfunding campaign has been launched to allow the firm to donate as much of the alcohol-based cleanser as possible to local care services on the frontline of the battle against the pandemic.

The aim is to raise £12,000 to donate all of their current stock to the care sector, with any money left over used for more raw materials to keep the production line rolling.

Will Edge, who founded the distillery in 2015 after a career in IT, marketing and finance, said: "So much of the alcohol and sanitiser in the market is being hoovered up by private companies to sell to desperate consumers at a profit.

"We have chosen to supply through our regular retailers as a thank you for supporting us over the years, and we've been gifting as much as we can. But as a small business with our own struggles, we can only do so much.

"Given the huge amount of requests we've had from care businesses, I want to find a way of redirecting that part of our business to the care sector, while giving us a bit of cashflow we need to keep the business going."

The distillery opened with a mission to reduce food waste at the farm gate by fermenting and distilling quality produce that supermarkets cannot take to make a range of unique spirits.

It is powered by renewable electricity and has a zero target for chemical use, plastics and non-recyclable waste.

Greensand Ridge is not the only spirit producer to switch production in this way. Gin makers Copper Rivet based at Chatham Maritime is manufacturing hand sanitiser, as is the as yet unopened Maidstone Distillery.

People who wish to help support the fundraising effort can donate online by clicking here

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