Community cafe opened by Wolves legend Bully celebrates its first birthday

A community cafe in Tipton that was officially opened by a footballing legend has celebrated its one-year anniversary.

Unity Brew Community Cafe was launched on July 23 last year - with Wolves icon Steve Bull drafted in to ‘cut the ribbon’ at the new venture which brought a much-needed cafe to the town.

Steve’s brother Alan Bull, head of employability and skills at Tipton-based Groundwork West Midlands, and his colleagues at Groundwork came up with the idea to bring a cafe to Tipton which was bereft of coffee shops or places for people to meet and enjoy a drink or a bite to eat in the daytime.

He said: “This past year we’ve gone from strength to strength.

“Our regular customers have made new friends and connections. You can see people’s mental health and physical health has got better by coming in. It’s absolutely great that it’s gone down really well.

“There was nowhere in Tipton to go for a coffee.

“Now we have regulars who come in for breakfast and come back again for lunch.”

The opening of the cafe has also brought further businesses into the town, with new shops opening up next door. It also runs a ‘pay it forward’ scheme whereby people can leave a donation for someone less fortunate to enjoy a drink or bite to eat.

The not-for-profit venture in Unity Walk, which has also created around six jobs, is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 2.30pm.

Former Wolves and England football star Bully gave the thumbs up to the venture in his “beautiful hometown” when he joined the launch celebrations 12 months ago and he’s been back a number of times since.

As well as providing locals with a hub in the heart of the community, the cafe also acts as a base for Groundwork West Midlands to work from and continue its work in the Black Country to help people build better and greener lives.