SHEPHERD Neame is giving its home town a £350,000 vote of confidence with a revamp of its brewery visitor experience.

And bosses at the country’s oldest brewery, based in Faversham, believe they can more than double the number of visitors from 10,000 a year to upwards of 20,000.

Jonathan Neame, chief executive, said: "The new visitor experience will celebrate the brewery’s heritage, our regional produce and brewing expertise in a modern showcase.

"The brewery has played an important part in Faversham’s history over the last 300 years and we hope that the visitor experience will enhance tourism within the town."

It is all part of a wider plan to reinvent Faversham as a historical tourism hub, and is set to lead other big projects designed to drive the town’s economy into the future.

The new-look attraction at the Faversham brewery, which employs 180 people, should be ready in May. It will include a collection of bygone delivery vehicles, a recreation of a cooper’s shop and previously unseen historical documents from Sheps archives.