Beer company created to raise awareness of bowel cancer and funds for charity

A woman from Preston, Imogen-Rose Gregory, who is also a student in Salford, has launched a beer company to raise funds for a cancer charity created in memory of her mother. The idea came to her during a family visit to a pub with her brother and father.

The trio discussed how to raise funds for The Orange Foundation, a charity they set up in memory of Emma Aindow-Gregory, which provides practical support to people living with cancer. 

Imogen-Rose Gregory said: “As a family, we didn’t want to rely on the continual goodwill of people making donations or us asking for money, mainly because it didn’t sit well with us. 

“We wanted to create a way of generating funds for the Foundation through everyday products, and we also wanted to get people talking about bowel cancer, as that’s what my mum died from. 

“We also saw a worrying trend of a reduction in charitable giving, so we knew we had to think differently, but we also saw that people are far more likely to buy from a company with a strong social purpose. 

“Like most things with us, we began joking around, but then, as we discussed it more, we thought, why not? We started coming up with names for the beers – mostly my brother’s ideas, but they made us laugh, and we wanted something fun and provocative. So, we hit upon the name of the Turtle Head Brewing Company – yeah, it’s a bit of fun, but it gets people talking, which is important.”

The objective is for Turtle Head Brewing Company to give 50 per cent of its profits to the family charity, The Orange Foundation. Imogen-Rose added: “We’re being realistic about how much we can raise via selling the beer, but if it generates thousands of pounds a year, we’ll be happy. Moreover, if it prompts people to think about checking their poo, then job done.”

The Turtle Head Brewing Company will offer a core range of gluten-free and vegan-friendly beers and a wheat and gluten-free lager. 

The beer names and styles are: 

• Magic – An American IPA ABV 5.0
• Smooth – An easy-drinking blonde beer ABV 4.3  
• Drift Wood – A traditional best bitter ABV 4.2
• Bricklayer – Continental style lager ABV 4.6
• Bricklayer (Gluten and Wheat Free) – A lighter pale lager ABV 5.2
• Ghost – Light pale ale ABV 3.0 
• Gorilla’s Finger – Chocolatey porter  ABV 5.0

All beers are available via the Turtle Head Brewing Company website: www.turtleheadbrewingcompany.co.uk