The kitchen at a busy community café in Darlington is getting an equipment upgrade thanks to support from a regional employer.
The King’s Café within the King’s Church on Prospect Place welcomes around 500 people every week and has seen a substantial recent rise in the number of people visiting the venue to get a healthy meal and support from the church’s volunteer team.
Much of the café’s equipment has been in use for many years and its poor condition has made it increasingly difficult for servers to properly keep up with customer demand, especially after their countertop fryer broke down completely.
A £1,996 grant from North East employer the Banks Group has enabled the Church to buy a new countertop fryer, as well as an industrial-sized microwave oven, so that more meals and drinks can be warmed up more quickly.
The café is one of a number of community projects based at the church, with a furniture reuse scheme allowing for donated items to be matched with local people who need them and a food bank from which anyone, in times of hardship, can come and receive an emergency bag of food and ongoing support until they are back on their feet.
The café hosts a number of different community groups, including a knit & natter club, toddler group and pilates class, and also regularly receives visits from people living in nearby care homes and sheltered accommodation, as well as from young people with special educations needs who attend school locally.
Helen Gannaway, fundraiser at the King’s Church, says: “Our café is really well used by all sorts of different people and it’s much more than just somewhere you can get a coffee.
“Our visitors know that there’s always someone here to talk to, whether they’re simply wanting to have a chat or are looking for any personal or practical advice, and we try to provide the most social experience we can for everyone who comes through our doors.
“Our equipment has served us well, but it’s been increasingly showing its age for some time, and with more and more people coming into the café, we’ve been struggling to keep up with demand.
“With energy bills rising and lots of other costs to cover, it would have been a real challenge for us to make these purchase without the Banks Group’s support and we’re absolutely thrilled with the impact that the new equipment has had on how quickly we can get food and drinks to our visitors.”
Kate Culverhouse, community relations manager at the Banks Group, adds: “The work done by the King’s Café team really helps to bring and bind the community together, and gives local people support, advice and company whenever they need it.
“It’s such a warm and welcoming place for everyone to spend some time, and we’re very pleased to be able to help support their excellent work.”