A new drop in cafe opens its doors for business at 10am tomorrow (Wednesday 13 February), helped by funding from Belle Vue Neighbourhood Forum.
Called The Vue, the cafe is the latest community development at the Church of the Nazarene on Moorhouse Road in Belle Vue.
Over the last two years, the neighbourhood forum has contributed to the funding of the cafe with around £10,000 of grants:
- £6000 towards refurbishment of the premises including disabled access and new windows, a pilot project to fund youth and community work development costs, and a contribution towards providing a computer area with internet access
- £4000 towards improving the premises and to buy furniture and catering equipment for the cafe.
Initially, the cafe will be open during the day on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays to serve tea and coffee with tray bakes and scones, but if there is greater demand then it will expand both its opening hours and the range of food it serves.
Neighbourhood forums in Carlisle are run by both the county and city councils. Every forum has a set amount of grant money for voluntary community groups and grant applications are generally decided at these public neighbourhood forum meetings.
Local county councillor and co-chair of Belle Vue Forum, Cyril Weber, said:
"Providing resources like this in the community is exactly the sort of the thing that neighbourhood forum grants are there for. I am very pleased that we have been able to give this project financial help and I am sure it will be of benefit to everyone in the area, and go from strength to strength."
Forum co-chair, and local city councillor Ian Stockdale said:
"We are delighted that the Church of the Nazarene has offered their venue for this very worthwhile project as there are few places locally for the community to go. I am pleased that the forum has been able to support them in providing necessary resources for such things as wheelchair access, and further community work in the area.
Councillor Ian Stockdale will be at the cafe when it opens to the public at 10am on Wednesday, to join Reverend Barrie Thomas from the Living Well Trust, a community project based in Raffles which has a similar drop in cafe on Shadygove Road. Reverend Thomas has been overseeing the development of the Church of the Nazarene project.
To find out about neighbourhood forums and how to apply for a grant, contact Annette Grogan, Neighbourhood Development Officer at Cumbria County Council on 01228 606570.
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Further information from Annette Grogan, Neighbourhood Development Officer, Cumbria County Council on 01228 606570 or Rev Barrie Thomas on 01228 599426