Coffee with the community

Coffee, cake and a cosy chat were on the menu at the opening of the new Costessey Community Café.

Hosted in St Helen’s Church in Gurney Road, the new café is a welcoming space where members of the community can enjoy warmth and companionship.

Held every Thursday, customers are invited to pay what they can for homemade soup, hot and cold drinks, sandwiches and toasties, and cakes.

A team from St Helen’s Church, including Rev James Pinto and Angela Waterson
has been working hard to launch the project, along with support from Costessey Town Council.

Angela and Rev James cut a blue ribbon to officially open the café on September 3, before serving the first customers.

In his welcoming speech, Rev James said: “St Helen’s Church is a church in the heart of the community with a big heart for Costessey.

“We want to play our part in serving the local community and put on this new café that we really hope offers people something to eat and drink and is a place where we can build friendships.”

He added: “Pay what you can, as we recognise that lots of people are feeling the pinch.”

Rev James thanked Angela and her team for their hard work in setting up the café.

He also thanked Cllr Gary Blundell for helping to secure a grant towards set up costs, and Peter Golland from Costessey Town Council for his support.

The café utilises the church’s new kitchen, which was installed just over a year ago.

Rev James added: “We had an encouraging number join us for our launch. We’d love to welcome you”

The café will be running weekly on Thursdays from 11am to 2.30pm at St Helen’s Church in Gurney Road.