Trailer Happiness fundraising after flood damage

London bar Trailer Happiness is looking to raise £50,000 (US$68,200) to repair the award-winning venue after flash floods destroyed the premises last week.

On Monday 12 July, parts of the UK capital received a month’s worth of rain in one day, causing flash floods across the city.

Trailer Happiness in Notting Hill was significantly damaged by storm, aggravated by ‘poor drainage plus burst pipes’, which turned the ‘rain into a river’.

The venue used the first lockdown in 2020 to refurbish the bar and toilets, and the second lockdown to revamp the kitchen. Trailer Happiness was just a week away from fully reopening along with the rest of the on-trade in England, as remaining Covid-19 restrictions in England were lifted on Monday 19 July.

However, severe floods hit Portobello Road, where the bar is based, and the venue is now crowdfunding via Go Fund Me as it endeavours to restore the acclaimed watering hole.

Sly Augustin, Trailer Happiness managing director and owner, said: “Being at the bottom of the hill we took a pretty big hit. We’ve had to deal with water before but it’s never come in through the ceiling. Thankfully nobody was seriously injured and the water subsided relatively quickly. Unfortunately the damage is significant, the water was also dirty so much of the bar will need to be stripped out or professionally sanitised before it is rebuilt.

“In the meantime we are hoping to keep our team together and find a new temporary home for the next few months; we expect a few hurdles with licensing and will definitely need to consult a sound insulation specialist if we are going to stay local.

“We don’t anticipate insurance covering loss of earnings based on what we expected to make post-restrictions, and we can’t control the timeframe for rebuilding, so we’re looking at ways to ensure we can still move the business forward and cover all of our loans. We also want to make sure Trailer has additional measures in place to help mitigate any future water issues.

“This sucks but we will be back, hopefully better than ever. We are incredibly grateful for all your support and hope we can offer you Trailer hospitality again real soon. Watch this space, we’ll be popping up wherever and whenever we can.”

At the time of writing, Trailer Happiness had raised £41,390 (US$56,500) of its £50,000 target.

To find out more or to donate, visit https://uk.gofundme.com/f/rebuilding-trailer-happiness-after-the-flood.

Update: On Tuesday 17 August, London bar Lyaness will host the Trailer Happiness team for a takeover in partnership with Moët Hennessy, with all the proceeds from the night going to the rum bar. Here’s how to get tickets.