CAFÉ in the Park was opened early in 2018 in Beggarwood and was created to deliver a calm space to fill a void in the area and to open a facility for all members of the community to meet and be able to have a highly quality Fairtrade cup of coffee and homemade cake.

Management are passionate about achieving this aim and the café has been created overlooking the beautiful views of the park and it is hoped it will become the heart of the Hatch Warren and Beggarwood communities as they continue to grow.

Open Wednesday to Friday 10am to 4pm and Saturday and Sunday 10am to 1pm, the café serves freshly-ground, locally-sourced barista-style coffee, and a daily selection of freshly made cakes. There are also gluten free options and dairy free alternatives plus offer a small selection of food including toasted teacakes and, at the weekend, a hot, freshly-cooked bacon roll.

They are passionate about engaging the local community which is core to their ethos and welcome anyone to come and join them and volunteer or, just come and have a chat.

There is a community soup lunch on the first Wednesday of every month for £3, organised card making and plans to begin a book group for the winter nights that seem to be creeping up on us.

They are keen to promote digital inclusion working with local agencies to make IT accessible for all.

The 'Ending Loneliness' campaign is a new venture embrace along with the 'Chatty Café' scheme which encourages social inclusion and the centre is striving to become a Dementia friendly meeting place.

Café in the Park has blue badge parking and has accessible toilet facilities with baby changing and is fully child friendly.

To volunteer, email office@beggarwood.org. Management welcome people with all skills and even if you can only give up an hour of your time you are always welcome.