SupportFinlaCoffee

After building up our business for 6 years we followed our consciences and did what we felt was the right thing in the face of the covid restrictions - we kept our small coffee shop open for 3 days. As a result, we were originally fined over £42k by the government. Two years on, with countless court appearances, and with losing our Business, we have personally been left with just under £15k to pay in fines and costs and would face prison if we don’t pay the full amount by March 2023. We are desperately seeking support to help us pay the costs.   

We were sceptical about the Covid lockdowns and tried to keep our small 6-year-old coffee shop open. We soon found ourselves in a fraught battle with Plymouth County Council, who on day three of our opening brought in a vanload of police officers to forcibly shut our café. There were nine officers, two sergeants and multiple media crew members.  

From the word go, we felt we were being held up as examples of what would happen to anyone who dared to disobey the rules. Because we followed our consciences, we endured months of legal wrangling, court appearances, threats and negative articles in the local press. Two years on we now feel it's time to talk and show everyone what happened to us.  

We have literally lost our entire business, been defamed and humiliated in the newspapers, and dragged through court several times.  

We have tried crowdfunding before but have been repeatedly removed from other platforms. We urgently need help with our outstanding personal fines and could still face prison if we don’t pay in time. We now feel broken and with nowhere to turn. Our deadline is March 2023. We have two young children.