A Norwich opticians will be raising a glass to the drinkers of the Fat Cat Brewery after its celebratory brew raised more than £1,000 for charity.
The Dipple & Conway's Independent Practice went to the Fat Cat Brewery for a unique glass-to-glass initiative as they created a new beer, called Cat's Eyes, in celebration of the fine city optician's 100th anniversary.
The opticians are supporters of the charity Break and decided that with every pint sold in its first three months. 10p would go towards the charity.
With 14,500 pints pulled, £1,450 was raised for the East Anglian charity.
Dipple & Conway director Damian Conway said: 'I was expecting to be writing a cheque for around £500.
'Instead we're delighted to be giving our friends from Break around three times that. It's astonishing, 14,500 pints is enough to fill a small swimming pool.'
Cat's Eyes has proved so popular that, a year on from its launch, it is still being brewed as a session beer and sold throughout the Fat Cat group.
'It's been a phenomenal success,' Mr Conway added. 'We are a family-orientated business and we love being part of the local community, supporting other local businesses, jobs and charities – as well as meeting people's eye-care needs.
'We thought our own Cat's Eyes brew would be a novel way of saying 'thank you' to the community for the way it has supported us for 100 years.'
The special tipple's distinctive flavour was created by Mr Conway alongside his wife Justine Conway, brother James Conway and son Ben Conway.
Dipple & Conway has raised more than £15,000 for Break, which supports vulnerable children, young people and families across East Anglia. That total is set to increase as group manager Neil McDonald is running the Lowestoft Half Marathon on October 1.
Martin Green, Break's fundraising manager, said Dipple and Conway's support the years has been 'overwhelming'.
'The centenary beer was an unusual but very effective method of raising money. It was a very clever way to support us,' he said. 'The whole family are brilliant. They always go the extra mile.'
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