Community Cafe - GATHER ‘to meet friends old and new’
Donation protected
Hello, my name is Olivia and I live with my family in wonderful Cornwall.
My plan is to start a Community Cafe in our local, charity run village hall.
It will run on Thursdays from 10 until 4.30. The hall is conveniently situated next to the primary school and care home. There is also ample parking and it’s wheelchair accessible. The hall faces south and has bi-fold doors opening onto an outdoor seating area. This is surrounded by a large recreation field with children’s play equipment too, (our village is very lucky!). It is the perfect place for a cafe.
Myself and my partner have lived and worked in Cornwall since 2003. Firstly, we ran Youth Hostels, working for the charity the YHA. We then went on to set up and run a nearby village shop and cafe in Coverack. We have lived here in Mawgan for 16 years and have 3 children. I have absolutely loved my work because I have relished the opportunity to make sure that all of my customers have had a wonderful holiday or been made very welcome in my shop/cafe. With the village shop and cafe we were able to bring the community together with much chat and laughter being the priority each day! It was here that I realised how important community was. I feel that in today’s society particularly it is very easy for people to be lonely or isolated.
I was very excited when I had the idea to start a cafe here in Mawgan. I knew that there would be much enthusiasm for the project - and there is! Many residents so much want a space to meet up. They all say that it is ‘what the village needs’ I knew also that it would be a wonderful opportunity to do more for my community. Here are some of my ideas….
- Volunteer drivers to bring in isolated residents.
- Picnics in the Park ‘ in the summer, ‘Community Cream Teas’ BBQS…. The Cafe being the ideal set up on which to base larger get-togethers.
- Cafe will provide a Lunch Club replacement (it no longer runs as there’s nobody available to cook). A simplified version, ‘The 3 O’clock Club’ will be an opportunity for the community’s generally older residents to meet up again.
- Groups will be able to run alongside the cafe including mother and baby groups, book clubs etc
- Customers that have the means and inclination will have the opportunity to purchase a token that would buy a customer that couldn’t otherwise afford one, a drink & slice of cake / soup and bread . On a trust basis, customers needing to use a token each week could do so - no question asked.
- Very importantly, the Cafe will offer a range of drinks and treats, from a more affordable simple filter coffee or mug of tea for example to an espresso based ‘coffee machine’ option.
- Volunteers (we have 8 offers already!) will help deliver trays to tables and mingle with customers. They will be an important part of the community ‘vibe’ and are all really looking forward to being involved with the project.
The cafe will be a warm, friendly and welcoming environment for all to enjoy.
We need at least £2000 to set it up though, (I am shocked at how much all the bits and pieces have added up to).
We have managed to source a second hand freezer to use for now, toaster, chilled sandwich display unit, soup pan, trays, coloured chopping boards and some utensils. Also several blackboards/sign boards and two large picnic tables that are for general hall use. We don’t need tables and chairs for inside as they are provided in hall, as are tea cups, mugs and plates.
Here is the list of things we need;
- soup kettle £42
- portable espresso machine with milk wand and grinder £500
- filter coffee machine £250
- cup warmer £60
- Safer Food Better Business File £20
- Trolley for equipment storage £60
- table cloths £140 (for 10)
- cake forks £10
- teapots £90 (for 10)
- credit card machine £130 (can’t get a cheaper one as they need to run alongside a phone and mine is too old)
- coffee mat £19
- mixing bowls £15
- weighing scales £10
- aprons £30 (for 4)
- tea towels and oven gloves £20
- cake domes £60 (for 3)
- measuring jug, microwavable bowl, spatulas, lemon juicer, rolling pin, zester, rolling pin £30
- tins and baking trays £60
- electric whisk £20
- soup bowls £30
- stick blender £25
- table decorations £40
- coffee cups £90
- paint for signs £30 a friend will paint them for free!
- cash box £20
- Fridge thermometers (2) and probe £18
- freezer £250
If anyone can afford to and would like to assist with the set up costs then I would be very, very grateful indeed. Thank you for taking the time to read about the project.
Organizer
Olivia White
Organizer
England