A NEW community café is set to open this Friday to give "a place where trust and friendships can flourish."
Café Revive hopes to serve as a hub where the community can access the services and activities that are important to them as well as serving food and drinks.
The cafe is in partnership between Abri, one of the south of England’s largest housing providers, and Colne Avenue Baptist Church in Millbrook.
The new café is part of Abri’s £15m five-year community investment to create "thriving communities".
The church was awarded £22,000 to support the project.
Pastor Chris Davis MBE, said: “We’re really pleased to be able to get the café up and running.
"Engagement within Millbrook can be difficult, which is why we’ve worked with Abri to create somewhere for the community to socialise.
"And to create a sense of community cohesion, and engage with the support they may need."
The cafe will follow Good Grub Club, which helps tackle food inequality and social isolation by bringing families together to get involved in cooking.
Lucy Davis, community development officer at Abri, said: “With the cost of living on the rise, we hope Millbrook residents will welcome the convenience Café Revive brings.
"A lack of nearby facilities means that trips to access services can become costly and time-consuming, often leaving the community unable to access the support they require.
"Café Revive will offer a hub for people to gather and provide wellbeing support, without a specified or paid for activity taking place, or the need to travel.”
Abri hopes to continue its community plans using the cafe to give residents a voice in future projects such as a community library.
The cafe will be open on Mondays and Fridays from 9am to 4pm.
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