Jean’s Café: a new community-run cafe opens in the heart of Cally

Two hundred Cally residents, community partners and volunteers attended the opening (and first servings) at a new community cafe in the heart of the Cally. With a newly refurbished kitchen, Jean’s Café is at the busy Jean Stokes Community Centre on the Bemerton estate. Local chefs prepare tasty, nutritious midday meals each Friday at very low cost thanks to surplus ingredients donated by local businesses and supermarkets.

A wide range of other activities are also planned including a sustainable eating schools programme, community growing scheme, food re-distribution and training for local chefs. The aim is to provide access to healthy and affordable meals, reduce food waste and tackle local food inequality.

Attending the event were the three Caledonian ward Councillors: Una O’Halloran (Leader of the Council), Sara Hyde and Paul Convery. Speaking at the launch, Paul said “we are so pleased to bring-back a community lunch facility to the Cally serving great meals to many of our community who have low incomes and sometime struggle to get a decent dinner. The Council is helping to financially support Jean’s Cafe and has made a sizeable investment to provide a top quality, industry-standard kitchen at the community centre. We’re in the heart of a working class neighbourhood that has a proud tradition of helping each other out. Despite some hard times, we’re a community that’s pulling together. Like the centre itself, Jean’s cafe is named in memory of Jean Stokes, one of the Cally’s first community heroes who did so much for the neighbourhood. At the launch event we were honoured to have members of Jean’s family present.“

Jean’s Café opened on Friday 21st February with food prepared by a team of local residents led by Community Chef, Vaida Filmanaviciute, and volunteers from Al-Asharaf Community Welfare Association led by Mana Abbas. The organisational work setting up the Cafe and its launch was undertaken by Council staff including Hannah Brook and Marie Morgan-Lloyd who lead on community development in the Cally, and Florrie Cole who works with businesses in the Cally. The cafe is also supported by the Manor Gardens Centre with Elliot Farnsworth as project manager.

Also attending the launch was the Council’s Chief Executive pictured here with Paul Convery, Sara Hyde and Una O’Halloran, Leader of the Council.

Jean’s Cafe is continuing to recruit volunteers who can prepare and cook food; welcome and serve; and help to continue organising surplus food donations. For further information contact elliot@manorgardenscentre.org

For more news and information, follow Jean’s Cafe on Instagram: jeans.cafe.cally or on Facebook: jeanscafe