Crepes and Cakes in your cafe
North Lodge Park Community Cafe open for business
Your support, individuals and businesses, has allowed us to bring you your community cafe – from a dirty empty shell to a fully fitted and working cafe – in a week, opening last Friday 7th August.
It was an early start on Friday when Wally Webb (BBC Radio Norfolk) came at 7.30am to interview us, followed by an interview with Dick Hutchinson from Radio North Norfolk.
After the opening drinks (Elderflower champers),
opening speeches were followed by the formal tape cutting by Jack and we were up and running and haven’t stopped since. Drinks, Cakes and Crepes have been flying out the door. The team are learning fast how hard it is to run a cafe!
It’s very hard to believe that it was only 10 days ago that we had the keys and started the painting – so much has happened in that time. As well as the cafe, the gardening volunteers have tidied up the gardens around the cafe, and in the Rose Garden.
We hope to open the cafe 7 days a week, but that needs your support – helping in the cafe or baking cakes for the cafe – come in and talk to the team to discuss how you can help your cafe work. Without your continued support it’s going to be hard work for the few.
In addition, the gardeners need your support – if you can help – or if you have some good tools to donate – get in touch friends@northlodgepark.org.uk or speak to someone in the cafe.
Jazz and Tea at 3 on Friday
To celebrate the end of the first week, this Friday afternoon (14th August) we will be in party mood with live jazz music at the cafe – do come and help the celebrations.
If you have other ideas for special events do let us know.
We had an amazing amount of crockery and cutlery donated by you, and we are really grateful – without it we wouldn’t have been able to open the cafe so quickly – we really were overwhelmed. However, the cafe is only big enough for a selection of your donations. Those items we are unable to use, we intend to sell from a stall outside the cafe next weekend (Friday to Sunday) with any money made going towards the Park. After Sunday we will donate any remaining items to a local charity. (If you would rather retrieve your donations please let us know before Friday.)
I really hope to see you soon in the cafe, either as a customer, or as one of the growing team of helpers.
Barry Meadows
Barista in training