Burton is well known as the capital of Britain’s brewing industry, but less well known is that it is also home to a unique collection of historic objects and documents from hundreds of Britain’s brewing and pub companies, which are stored at the National Brewery Centre.

The items cover 250 years of brewing in Britain and are cared for by the National Brewery Heritage Trust, a registered charity run by volunteers.

They want everyone to enjoy the collection, but currently only 5,000 of their half a million items are on display. That means 99% of the collection is hidden from view in the archives, making it difficult for beer lovers and enthusiasts to see the full extent of the information and materials available.

Now, the charity has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help make these exceptional items more accessible to more people via an online catalogue.

Trust chairman, Harry White, said: “Our aim is accessibility. We want people to be able to see what we’ve got so they can enjoy our collection and use it for research, education and general interest. We’re proud of what we’ve got. No other collection of this breadth and quality exists.

“Our online catalogue will enable more people to enjoy this unique record of our brewing and pub heritage, and to appreciate the cultural, social and
economic role of the British brewing and pub industries.”

The project will cost £50,000, and £30,000 has already been raised in donations from individuals and organisations. The crowdfunding campaign to raise the remaining £20,000 runs until July 23 at crowdfunder.co.uk/brewing-heritage-online

Click on the website to see the rewards that are available or to make a donation.

The campaign is supported by Nick Hewer, presenter of TV’s Countdown, former adviser to Lord Sugar, and formera past Parliamentary Beer Group beer drinker of the year.