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Press Release: Issue date: 12th February 2008
Community cafe serves up cappucino and crafts
A unique coffee shop set up by volunteers will be opening its doors in a Devon village this month.
From February 18th onwards, residents living in Exminster near Exeter
will be able to pop into Coffee on the Corner in the Victory Hall for a
cuppa and a healthy snack. Their creative appetite will also be catered
for as the community cafe will showcase work by local artists and
craftspeople.
Coffee on the Corner is believed
to be the only community cafe in Devon that opens five days a week.
Former primary school teacher Vanessa Pestridge came up with the idea
for the coffee shop when she was pregnant with her second child, Mia,
who is now two and a half. “I felt there was something lacking in the
village,” said Vanessa. “There are two pubs and a few shops but nowhere
for mums with young children or retired people to go for good quality
drinks and snacks at an affordable price.”
It’s
taken Vanessa and a committed team of volunteers nearly three years to
get Coffee on the Corner from a dream to reality. “We had to negotiate
with the Parish Council and the Trustees of the village hall first.
Then with support from the Parish Council and Teignbridge Rural
Regeneration Fund the annexe where the coffee shop will be based was
refurbished with local volunteers lending their help. We then applied
for the final grant of £7,905 from the National Lottery through Awards
for All,” explained Vanessa. “Many local businesses have also supported
us - Coffeeworks have donated a beautiful commercial coffee machine and
even our branding was done for free by a local designer."
Chairman
of Exminster Parish Council, Pete King, believes the coffee shop is a
much needed facility for the whole community. “We are pleased to see
our village hall being bought into the 21st century.”
Unlike most businesses Coffee on the Corner is not being run to make
individuals money. Profit will be re-invested into the café and the
services it offers. This means it can offer subsidised activities aimed
at enriching the lives of its customers. Anything from parent child
cookery classes to discounted craft workshops to whole village events
like the free Jungle Jim show at 1.45pm on 18th Feb can all be paid for
out of their profits. “We’d love to hear from any local artists or
craftspeople who would like to showcase their work in the café or run
workshops. Or any volunteers who would like to serve in the café.”
Coffee on the Corner will be overseen by volunteer directors and run by
a skeleton paid staff supported by volunteers. Open five days a week
the cafe is also committed to supporting the village and surrounding
area by using local produce where ever possible.
The cafe is being officially opened by the four winners of a poetry
competition. Locals have been asked to write a verse as imaginatively
as they can starting with the words,” In my coffee shop I’d put........”
“
We were inspired by K.Wrights poem The Magic Box,” explained Vanessa.
“All the entries we receive will be put into a book that we’ll keep it
in the coffee shop to remind us of this very special time.”
ENDS
For further information and interviews contact Vanessa Pestridge on 01392 823005
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