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The business behind a group of restaurant hotels has secured a six-figure loan to help it survive the coronavirus lockdown.

JC Hotels has three venues – the Lion Hotel, in Belper, Littleover Lodge, in Derby and the Boar’s Head, at Draycott in the Clay, on the Derbyshire/Staffordshire border.

Collectively employing 140 people, all three venues attract thousands of people every year through its wedding and conferencing facilities.

They would usually be fully booked through the spring but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the business has had to temporarily close its doors to customers and furlough its staff.

Now, JC Hotels has successfully secured a Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme loan through Lloyds Bank to help support cashflow as it continues to keep its doors shut.

JC Hotels is owned and run by John Crooks, his wife Gail and their five children. The business began when John bought the Boar’s Head back in 1984, a historic building originally part of the Vernon estate, which he transformed into a 23-bedroom hotel with an a la carte restaurant to seat 80.

John said: “This is the most challenging time our business has faced but we know we’re not alone.

“Pubs, restaurants and hotels across the region are feeling the same effects that we are and planning for the future is particularly difficult given the uncertainty surrounding when we’ll be able to open our doors again.