Community cafe hoping to build on its success following cash boost from local councillor

Volunteers running a community café to tackle rural isolation and loneliness are looking at how they can use a grant to help even more people in 2023.

The Bradfield St Clare Keeping In Touch (KIT) Café has received £300 of locality budget funding from West Suffolk councillor Sara Mildmay-White as it looks at building on its success.

Val Nunn, Pat Hipwell and Margaret Fayers, who set up the KIT Cafe in the village hall in 2016, are among a handful of community volunteers working to run the monthly service.

“It started because we didn’t have a pub or any other meeting place in the village. While you’d often see people stop and speak to each other in the street, some people weren’t able to do that, especially when it was cold out,” Val said.

“So, we started the monthly community café with a Macmillan coffee morning and it just took off. It has been hugely successful. There are a few people in the village who cannot get out very easily. This offers a great meeting place for people to get together and to connect which helps reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness.”

The KIT Café is held on the third Saturday of the month from 11am to 1pm at the Bradfield St Clare Village Hall. The venue can hold up to 35 people and during the summer months a friendly neighbour has allowed the cafe to spill out onto his garden.

As well as free hot drinks, pastries and cakes, volunteers have organised book swaps, quizzes as well as games and colouring-in to keep young children entertained.

Councillor Mildmay-White, who represents the village on West Suffolk Council and is also cabinet member for Strategic Health, said: “Initiatives such as the KIT community café can make the world of difference to people’s lives. If someone, whatever their age or circumstance, feels lonely and isolated, having a positive project like this on their doorstep, even just once a month, can mean so much to them, their health and their wellbeing.

“It provides somewhere for people to connect or reconnect with others from the surrounding area and to forge new friendships so that the café isn’t the only place that they may meet. The volunteers do an amazing job bringing people together. I know they are keen to look at how they can deliver even more for the local community and I am delighted to be able to support them with this.”

Organisers are looking for more volunteers to support the continuing success of the KIT Community Café as they look to help more local people. Val said some of the grant money may be used to update and improve the kitchen.