An Ashton-on-Ribble cafe is set to run a soup kitchen on Christmas Eve.
Neighbourhood in Blackpool Road opened in July and is owned by local couple Dave Crowther and Charlotte Buchanan.
Charlotte said: “We’re very much about offering a service to the community, whether that’s families using our family-friendly space or people who work from home and are looking for somewhere different to log on. We’re also working with loneliness charity Talkin’ Tables to help people make connections through a new weekly event on Tuesdays.”
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The soup kitchen, an idea from the cafe’s new head chef, will build on this community focus by offering a welcoming space with free soup, tea, and coffee between 3pm and 4pm on Wednesday (24 December).
Charlotte is working with Ruby, who runs Ashton Food Aid. “We had visited the food bank a few times with our children so they could learn what happens there and why. When I got in touch about the soup kitchen, Ruby thought it would be a great idea. She’s currently serving about 70 families per week.
“Ruby has helped to spread the word, and people have been so generous already, donating warm coats and blankets. One person is also dropping off mince pies and a Yule log.”
Charlotte said Neighbourhood has been going well in its first few months.
“We now have quite a few regular customers and we’re continuing to try our best to get the word out about the venue,” she said. “This is probably our biggest challenge, as not everyone is on social media, and we still get people walking past saying they didn’t know we were here.
“However, we’ve hosted some sold-out events, such as our family-friendly bonfire night, where we put on children’s crafts and sparklers, and we’re also running a kids’ Christmas brunch on Monday. Events like these have helped us understand what works well and who our customer base is.”
To find out more, follow @neighbourhood_coffeehouse on Instagram.
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