Final goodbye for Nuneaton's Community Cafe

[dutchman]

A final farewell has been made to a haven for carers which has been at the heart of the community for more than seven years.



Shutters came down at the Guidepost's Community Cafe in Church Street after a closing ceremony which saw scores of family gather for one last cuppa.

Emotions were running high during the speeches made by members of Guidepost Trust staff who have been affected by the decision to close.

During the farewell event three customers, Lynne Clift, Rita Ellis and Linda Harris, told the News that they were going to miss meeting at the cafe for a chat and that Mrs Harris even travelled from Tamworth to make the visit.

Lynne Clift said: "My husband was a double amputee and they helped us while he was alive. It has been three years since he passed and we still come here.

"We started coming six months after it opened and never stopped coming."

The Guideposts Trust is a charity which helps to support people living with mental health problems or need social care.

The charity offers information on services and opportunities for both the client and their carers.

The decision to close the cafe was made earlier this month by charity bosses as a result of rising costs and dwindling charity reserves.

Kate Worrall, managing director of Guideposts Trust said: "I was never in any doubt about how much the Guideposts Community Cafe was enjoyed and appreciated by our carers and other customers - enabling them to relax, socialise and integrate.

"It was for this very reason and our fondness for and commitment to Nuneaton and Warwickshire, that we diverted funds to support the cafe as a base for Carers Support Services and the wider community.

"However I confess that while I am not surprised by all the calls from the community asking for the cafe to be retained, I am genuinely touched and saddened by the local disappointment this difficult financial decision has caused.

"Sadly, retention of a cafe for community support reasons is beyond the remit of a social care and mental health charity, in these days of continuing austerity.

"While we now have a small band of loyal customers and carers, they alone can't generate the income necessary to fully cover the cafe operating costs. More importantly, we have an increasing number of carers and clients across Warwickshire, who could benefit from our information advice, guidance and support, but can't reach Nuneaton. By closing the cafe and relocating in the Nuneaton Business Innovation Centre, we can operate a 'hub and spoke' model, which will let us reach out to many more people in need of our assistance."

Anyone needing advice on Carers Support Services can call 024 7638 5888.

More information about the charity can also be found at http://www.guidepoststrust.org.uk